Germany must battle Serbia in the Nations League on ZDF

After a disappointing record in the Nations League, Germany faces a decisive task on Thursday evening in its home stadium: the duel against Serbia will be broadcast live on ZDF, while the team is under pressure to secure qualification for the quarter‑finals.

No tailor‑made debut for Jürgen Klopp as national coach. After a respectable 1:1 in the Netherlands, the 0:1 shock at home against Greece on Sunday followed. By then it was clear that “The National One” is no miracle worker.

Criticism after the recent matches

Bastian Schweinsteiger concluded that the DFB team has settled into mediocrity. Captain Joshua Kimmich didn’t even want to contradict that, but sees this bitter assessment as a snapshot. Both emphasized that the current form does not reflect the long‑term potential.

New squad and away match against Serbia

The momentum should now be turned on Thursday evening in Munich’s Allianz Arena by the second Klopp squad. While six players from the first lineup are allowed to stay – Finn Dahmen, Philipp Treu, Yannik Englehardt, Bambasé Conté, Serge Gnabry and Nico Schlotterbeck – seventeen new players join, of which nine have not yet played a single A‑international.

DFB team XXL experiment burdens Klopp after a failed debut

With Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Burkardt also remaining are two offensive forces who had arrived early for the injured Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz for the Greece match. Germany is already under pressure against Serbia, because as third and fourth in the table the drop from the A‑League threatens, while only the first two places lead to the quarter‑finals.

The second home match of the German team in the new Nations‑League season will again be broadcast on public‑service television. ZDF shows the duel live on Thursday evening on free TV, and the match is free to stream via the ZDF Mediathek as well as on zdf.de.

Stefan Matzke provides the visuals, while Maximilian Mittelstädt observes the action in the background. The juxtaposition of critical voices and the broad public broadcast highlights that the team is in focus both sportingly and media‑wise.