Matthäus believes ter Stegen will return under Klopp

In his Sky column, record international Lothar Matthäus writes that he expects a DFB return for Ajax goalkeeper Marc‑André ter Stegen, and also mentions another goalkeeper he has his eye on. He emphasizes that the competition for the German goal is great: “There are seven, eight goalkeepers who can have hopes.” Ter Stegen, whose last international match for the German national team was in June 2025, that is in the year 2025, has again chances in the DFB squad after more than a year. “As far as ter Stegen is concerned, I assume he will certainly be included,” Matthäus quotes the stopper from Amsterdam.

Matthäus' Candidate List and Karius Assessment

Additionally, he has another goalkeeper on his list, which he cites as a possible alternative. According to Matthäus, Loris Karius of the Bundesliga‑promoted FC Schalke 04 is a candidate, but he does not expect a return to the squad. “In the past season he kept superbly and played a decisive role in Schalke’s promotion,” praises the 65‑year‑old former Liverpool goalkeeper. “The past he experienced with Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool should stay in the drawer,” adds Matthäus.

Karius and Klopp know each other from their time together at FC Liverpool, where Klopp was coach in 2018 and Karius was in goal in the Champions‑League final against Real Madrid. In the final, the then‑stopper, who has not yet played an A‑international, made a crucial mistake.

Klopp Announces First Squad for the Matches

As national team coach, Jürgen Klopp will on Thursday at ten o’clock nominate his first squad for the matches in the Netherlands on 24 September, against Greece on 27 September, against Serbia on 1 October and in Greece on 4 October. The coach emphasizes that there will be no experiments under him, because he has a system 100 percent. “The nice thing is that Klopp has a system 100 percent and does not place players in positions where they are not used at their club,” explains Matthäus.

Matthäus also warns that there will not only be positive surprises. “There will also be players who will be surprised that they are not included,” he predicts.

A possible return of ter Stegen could once again occupy the number one spot in the German goal and decisively shape the selection for the upcoming matches. The statements of the former record international thus provide an early indication of which players are in focus under the new national team coach Jürgen Klopp.