Germany v Serbia preview: Klopp chases first win as Nations League strugglers meet
Germany v Serbia preview: team news, form, head-to-head and key numbers as Jürgen Klopp chases his first win as Germany coach in Munich.
Jürgen Klopp is still waiting for his first win as Germany coach, and tonight’s visit of struggling Serbia to Munich looks like his best chance yet.
Main image: DSN graphic. Photo: Stepro / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Nations League League A game at the Allianz Arena kicks off at 7.45pm UK time, with Norwegian referee Espen Eskås in charge. It is the bottom two in the group meeting at the halfway point, and both need the points badly.
A slow start for Klopp
Klopp’s reign began with a 1-1 draw away to the Netherlands, but Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to Greece left Germany third with a single point, five behind the Greeks.
The former Liverpool boss was frank afterwards, admitting his side had not been physical enough and needed better patterns of play to break down a deep defence. Expect changes tonight, with Malick Thiaw and Waldemar Anton among those pushing for a start.
Team news
Germany are without Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala through injury, which takes a lot of creativity and goals out of the side. Florian Wirtz is the man most likely to carry the attacking load.
There is a personal edge for Aleksandar Pavlović. The Bayern Munich midfielder plays his club football at the Allianz Arena and faces the country of his father’s birth.
Serbia, under Veljko Paunović, are without Aleksandar Mitrović, leaving Luka Jović to lead the line. Veteran Dušan Tadić and former Eintracht Frankfurt winger Filip Kostić bring experience.
Key numbers
| Germany | Serbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Group position | 3rd | 4th |
| Points | 1 | 0 |
| Record (W-D-L) | 0-1-1 | 0-0-2 |
| Goals for / against | 1 / 2 | 2 / 4 |
| Group results | D 1-1 Netherlands (a), L 0-1 Greece (h) | L 1-2 Greece (h), L 1-2 Netherlands (h) |
| Last meeting | Germany 1-1 Serbia, friendly, March 2019 | |
Also on DSN: Nico Schlotterbeck ruled out for Germany after new ankle injury.
Our sister site DGBN has also covered Germany’s Wamser completing a move to Manchester City.
What’s at stake
Serbia are in a rut. Defeats at home to Greece and the Netherlands have left them pointless, and relegation from League A is a real threat if they lose again tonight.
The head-to-head record is tight. Serbia famously beat Germany 1-0 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the last meeting, a friendly in Wolfsburg in 2019, finished 1-1.
Leaders Greece host the Netherlands at the same time, so a home win could drag Germany back into the race for top spot. Anything less, and the pressure on Klopp will start to build. The live group tables are on the official UEFA Nations League standings page.
It is a busy night of Nations League football. Portugal visit Denmark at the same time, without Cristiano Ronaldo: read our Denmark v Portugal preview and the full story of Ronaldo’s exit from the Portugal camp.
