Quick reunion in Thessaloniki: Wirtz could be captain for the first time
At the Toumba Stadium, which holds just under 30,000 spectators, the German team is awaiting the comeback after a surprising defeat in Augsburg. The memory of the 0:1 loss to Greece is still fresh, while Jürgen Klopp will seek revenge on Sunday at 20:45 (RTL).
Record and significance of the match
The duel in Thessaloniki is the 1,045th international match of the German national team. After four winless games, a 2:0 victory over Serbia in Munich delivered the 603rd win, complemented by 216 draws and 225 defeats in the overall history. In the Nations League, the Greeks lead the group with seven points ahead of the Netherlands (5), Germany (4) and Serbia (0). A win is crucial for Germany to stay in the race for one of the two quarter‑final places.
Line‑up, debutants and captaincy question
In the 23‑man squad for the match, four players have not yet earned a cap: goalkeeper Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg) and Noah Atubolu (Eintracht Frankfurt) as well as outfield players Felix Keidel (SV Elversberg) and Finn Jeltsch (VfB Stuttgart). Jeltsch could celebrate his debut. Since Bayern professional Serge Gnabry is not traveling, Florian Wirtz, with 47 appearances, is the most experienced in the squad and is likely to lead the team as captain for the first time if he is in the starting eleven. In the 2:0 win over Serbia, Wirtz had already taken over Gnabry's captain's armband.
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National coach Jürgen Klopp, 59 years old, has a record of one win, one draw and one loss after three matches. The chance of a successful revenge at the Toumba Stadium is of great personal importance to him.
The French referee Clément Turpin, 44 years old, will officiate the game. Turpin has already overseen several matches of the German side, most recently two years ago in Düsseldorf during the 5:0 win over Hungary in the Nations League group stage.
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