Nagelsmann's football team is yet to falter, while Woltemade steps up and delivers a striking performance
Germany's head coach, Julian Nagelsmann, has reiterated the national team's goal to become world champions in the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
In preparation for their upcoming qualifier against Slovakia, Nagelsmann has made an unexpected tactical decision, opting to start Maximilian Mittelstädt as the right-back instead of Joshua Kimmich, who is usually in the position. Kimmich, however, will be moving to midfield, a decision aimed at exploiting a specific space in Slovakia's defence with inverse crosses from the right side.
Despite this change, no replacement for Marc-André ter Stegen in goal has been mentioned.
Nnamdi Collins could make his debut for Germany as a right-back in the match against Slovakia, while the starting lineup for the match against Northern Ireland remains unchanged.
Nagelsmann has spoken highly of Nick Woltemade, recently transferred to Newcastle United, who has a good chance of featuring in the Slovakia match. On the other hand, Florian Wirtz, who has moved to Liverpool, is set to start for Germany in the same match.
The match against Northern Ireland will take place in Cologne on Sunday at 20:45 CET. Germany is the clear favourite in Group A, which also includes Northern Ireland and Luxembourg.
In the midfield, Kimmich is looking forward to returning, believing he can bring more strengths and input to his teammates.
Nagelsmann has kept the starting lineup for the Slovakia match a secret, with both a back three and a back four being possibilities. Several top players, including Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Marc-André ter Stegen, will be unavailable due to injury.
Only the group winner of Group A will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup. The match against Northern Ireland will be an important step towards achieving this goal. Wirtz, one of Germany's key players, according to Nagelsmann, will play a crucial role in this journey.
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