DFB team in the World Cup form check: top players under pressure against Slovakia!

DFB team in the World Cup form check: top players under pressure against Slovakia!

The German national soccer team is facing an exciting weekend, as the DFB team will face Slovakia in the World Cup qualifier on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Under the leadership of national coach Julian Nagelsmann, the fans can expect a thrilling game that marks the start of an ambitious qualifying round. Germany will meet Northern Ireland in Cologne on Sunday.

In view of the relevant developments, Nagelsmann has announced his squad for the qualifying games. There are several exciting personalities represented, including the three debutants Finn Dahmen, Nnamdi Collins and Paul Nebel, all of whom could bring a breath of fresh air to the team. Dahmen and Collins have distinguished themselves with strong performances at their clubs and could quickly make a name for themselves. Federal visualizations and assessments show that the DFB definitely wants to use these new talents.

The squad in detail

The squad includes a mix of experience and fresh talent. In goal are Oliver Baumann from TSG Hoffenheim, who shows good performances, but is in competition with Alexander Nübel from VfB Stuttgart. Finn Dahmen has been nominated as the third goalkeeper and will probably not expect much playing time at first.

• Tor: Oliver Baumann (TSG Hoffenheim), Alexander Nübel (VfB Stuttgart), Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg)
• Abwehr: Jonathan Tah (FC Bayern), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Waldemar Anton (BVB), Nnamdi Collins (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstädt (VfB Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig)
• Mittelfeld: Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern), Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart), Robert Andrich (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern), Nadiem Amiri (Mainz 05), Pascal Groß (BVB), Paul Nebel (Mainz 05), Florian Wirtz (FC Liverpool), Serge Gnabry (FC Bayern)
• Angriff: Niclas Füllkrug (West Ham United), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United)

Jonathan Tah will take on a leadership role, especially in defense, while Antonio Rüdiger has to be careful as his lack of playing time at Real Madrid could harm his form. Robin Koch, the captain of Eintracht Frankfurt, played a strong role in the selection and is considered a possible candidate for the starting eleven. A notable nomination is that of Nnamdi Collins, who will now play his first game for the senior national team after a strong U21 European Championship.

The away trip to Bratislava

In total, the DFB team only has six games in this qualification to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Due to an increased number of groups and fewer games, Germany has the task of scoring efficiently this time. Currently, Germany is ranked 9th in the FIFA world rankings, while Slovakia is 52nd and Northern Ireland is 71st. The DFB team is the clear favorite to win this group.

The first two games in the World Cup qualification are crucial in laying the foundation for a successful participation in the World Cup. National coach Nagelsmann hopes that the team can carry the very positive performances of recent times into the qualifying games. “We want to show our strength and offer our fans a solid start,” said Nagelsmann.

The game against Slovakia will be broadcast live on ARD and on sportschau.de, while the match against Northern Ireland will be shown on RTL on Sunday. The atmosphere in Cologne will certainly be electric in the game against Northern Ireland!

The DFB team has shown a good hand in selecting players and is ready to demonstrate its regained strength in the coming games. Let’s stay tuned to see what stories this qualification cycle has in store for us!