Germany must rescue Nations League qualification in Thessaloniki

In the dusty cauldron of Thessaloniki, the German national team is preparing for the second meeting in the Nations League cycle. Under Jürgen Klopp, who ushered in the new era, the match will be broadcast live by RTL – free on linear television and paid on the RTL+ stream. Photo: Christina Pahnke – sampics/GettyImages.

The era began with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, followed by a 0-1 loss to Greece and a convincing 2-0 win over Serbia. These results have caused expectations for the team to fluctuate greatly.

Strong performance against Serbia

In the second meeting, the Klopp‑reassembled team displayed a playing freedom that enabled the victory over Serbia. Especially the midfield axis of Aleksandar Pavlovic, Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz impressed with creativity and potency.

Nevertheless, the regular captain Joshua Kimmich, who has reluctantly left the squad, is missing. Also regulars Jonathan Tah and Nathaniel Brown, as well as the injured Jamal Musiala, Nico Schlotterbeck and Kai Havertz, are unavailable.

German media predict three-way points race in Nations League group

Points and qualification pressure

Germany currently sits in third place with four points, behind Greece (seven points) and the Netherlands (five points), while Serbia leaves the field without any points. A win against Greece would strengthen the starting position; a draw or a loss would inevitably require victories in the remaining matches against Serbia and the Netherlands to preserve a quarter‑final chance.

The match will be broadcast live by RTL, free on linear television and additionally on the paid RTL+ stream. Viewers can therefore follow the duel without extra cost on free‑TV.

After the rather fortunate point gain in the Netherlands, critics pointed to the sobering performance against Greece. However, the positive response to the Serbian success has fostered hope that the team can still rescue qualification.

For the German side, the duel in Thessaloniki represents a chance to correct the record and pave the way to the Nations League quarter‑finals.