Germany manager Jürgen Klopp returns to Berlin's Olympiastadion on Monday night, over eleven years after his final match in charge of Borussia Dortmund, for a Nations League fixture against the Netherlands, DIE WELT reported.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. local time on ARD. The match carries heavy stakes for the German national team, which enters the contest facing the threat of relegation in the tournament.
A defeat would leave Klopp’s squad in third place with eight points. If Norway defeats Denmark a day later, Germany would officially finish among the two worst third-placed teams in the group stage.
Klopp arrived in Berlin with the DFB squad on Sunday afternoon following a final training session in Herzogenaurach. The session marked the team’s final workout at the Adidas facility before Nike takes over as the official outfitter of all DFB national teams on January 1.
During Sunday evening’s press conference, Klopp pointed to intensive video study of the Dutch side, including their 7:0 victory over Greece. He said that the Netherlands fields a strong and lively generation.
“The difference between the two of us right now is that we are in a transition phase and they are much less so,” Klopp told DIE WELT.
He kept selection plans quiet regarding whether Brajan Gruda will retain a spot in the starting lineup. Gruda debuted during Germany’s 3:1 win in Serbia, scoring after a solo run.
“In life, it’s generally the case that if you play well, it increases the probability that you’ll play again. But you don’t necessarily have to play again just a few days later,” Klopp told DIE WELT.
The tone shifted when the discussion turned to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the upcoming presidential election scheduled for March 18, 2027, in Rabat, Morocco. Infantino currently stands alone as the candidate for reelection ahead of the November 18 application deadline, despite opposition from UEFA.
“How bad all this is and how things are done, I can’t judge. But I think the opinion is unanimous by now that a change would make a lot of sense,” Klopp told DIE WELT.
Klopp drew a direct comparison to Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter.
“In the sense of football, I wouldn’t have thought that it could get even worse after Sepp Blatter—and then they managed to pull that off anyway,” Klopp told DIE WELT.
Critical of the organization’s trajectory since Infantino took office in 2016, Klopp pointed to commercialization as a primary driver of modern football administration.
“Right now, it’s mostly about making money, I think. It would be cool if we could just do that better. I think that should be possible: bring people together and organize great football events,” Klopp told DIE WELT.
Germany faces the Netherlands on Monday night at 20:45 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
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