In Augsburg, Germany’s new international cycle moves quickly from Amsterdam to another demanding evening, with Jürgen Klopp preparing his side for Sunday’s Nations League meeting with Greece. The hosts come into the match after beginning life under Klopp with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, while Ivan Jovanovic’s Greece arrive as early leaders of League A’s Group 2.
Germany’s opening game in Amsterdam on Thursday also marked the first match for Xavi Hernández as Netherlands coach. Felix Nmecha put the visitors ahead before Cody Gakpo restored parity for the Dutch. The occasion drew 10.63 million viewers on RTL, a significantly larger audience than the figure of just under eight million for Julian Nagelsmann’s first Germany match, which came against the United States.
Klopp will make a planned change in goal against the Greeks. Alexander Nübel of Besiktas is set to start, despite Marc-André ter Stegen producing several important saves in Amsterdam. Klopp was emphatic that the switch should not be read as criticism of ter Stegen, currently on loan at Ajax from Barcelona.
“I was extremely pleased with Ter Stegen’s performance,” Klopp said. “When the opposing coach says your goalkeeper kept you in the game, it is unusual to hear criticism. There were two moments in possession when he did not play the ball as he wanted, but that can happen. I have no criticism of him whatsoever.”
The Germany coach intends to use four different goalkeepers across this Nations League sequence. After Nübel’s appearance in Augsburg, Jonas Urbig and Noah Atubolu will each feature in one of the forthcoming fixtures: Thursday’s game against Serbia and the return trip to Greece on 4 October.
Greece arrive with momentum
Greece opened their campaign in Belgrade with a 2-1 comeback win over Serbia, turning the group’s first round into an immediate test for Klopp’s reworked Germany. Christos Tzolis began the recovery and Anastasios Douvikas scored the other goal to give Jovanovic’s side top spot in the section.
Tzolis has carried strong club form into the international window, having already registered four assists since joining Arsenal. Douvikas, formerly of Celta Vigo, is now playing for Cesc Fàbregas’s Como. Alongside them, Konstantinos Karetsas represents another part of a Greek side increasingly shaped by younger attacking talent.
For Germany, the afternoon in Augsburg is therefore more than a response to a draw in the Netherlands. It is the second stop in Klopp’s first international window, against opponents who have already shown they can recover on the road and who arrive with the confidence of a place at the summit.
