Munich waits for a response on Thursday night, with Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany window already carrying more strain than he would have imagined. A 1-1 opening draw with the Netherlands was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Greece, the first victory the Greeks have ever recorded against Germany. Serbia now arrive at the Allianz Arena with Klopp still seeking his first win as national-team coach.
The immediate concern in Herzogenaurach is Nico Schlotterbeck. The Borussia Dortmund defender twisted his right ankle early in Wednesday’s training session and was sent for an MRI scan, with the German Football Association awaiting the result. His availability for the Serbia match is therefore in doubt at a time when Germany’s defensive plans had appeared relatively settled.
Schlotterbeck had played the full 90 minutes against the Netherlands, then sat out the Greece defeat as Klopp managed his workload. He was among only six players retained across both Germany squads in this Nations League period, and had been expected to start against Serbia. With Joshua Kimmich absent from the second squad selection, Schlotterbeck had also been considered among the possible candidates to wear the captain’s armband.
An unwelcome repeat for Schlotterbeck
This is the second ankle problem Schlotterbeck has sustained this year. During the World Cup, he suffered a similar injury in Germany’s 2-1 group-stage victory over Côte d’Ivoire. That setback involved ligaments in his left ankle and kept him out until Borussia Dortmund’s third Bundesliga fixture, a 3-0 win over Paderborn.
The new incident affects the opposite ankle, but arrives during another difficult spell for Klopp’s reshaped Germany group. Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz, both central figures in the side, have already left the camp injured during the current international break.
Klopp called up 44 players for the four Nations League fixtures against the Netherlands, Greece, Serbia and Greece again, an unusually broad pool reflecting the scale of his early assessment. Yet the first two outings have offered little comfort: one draw, one historic loss, and a growing medical list.
If Schlotterbeck cannot take his place in Munich, Waldemar Anton, his Dortmund colleague, could be partnered in central defence by Stuttgart’s Finn Jeltsch or Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw. For Klopp, the Serbia fixture is not merely another match in a long international programme. It is an early opportunity to restore momentum before Greece return for the final meeting of the window.
