Germany face Serbia at Belgrade’s Rajko Mitić Stadium on Friday, 13 November, with kick-off scheduled for 8:45 pm CET. Having won just one of their opening four Nations League matches, Klopp’s side are approaching a potentially decisive international double-header. A home meeting with the Netherlands follows three days later. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Klopp expressed satisfaction with the team’s preparations after a productive week on the training ground.
Germany need a win to keep quarter-final hopes alive
The Netherlands and Greece lead League A Group 2 with eight points apiece, followed by Germany on five and Serbia, who are yet to pick up a point. Only the top two teams qualify for the quarter-finals. With the group leaders facing each other, victory in Belgrade would allow Germany to close the gap on at least one of their rivals and significantly improve their prospects ahead of Monday’s final group match against the Dutch.
Klopp made it clear at his press conference that this was precisely the scenario Germany were working towards. His players wanted to win in Serbia and give themselves the opportunity to contest a decisive final group game against the Netherlands.
Germany won the reverse fixture 2-0 in Munich on 1 October, with Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz on the scoresheet. It remains their most convincing performance under Klopp, although they were unable to build on that display and subsequently drew 0-0 away to Greece.
Kimmich returns as Klopp weighs up his midfield options
Klopp can once again call upon several of his established internationals. Captain Joshua Kimmich returns alongside Kai Havertz and Jonathan Tah, while Marc-André ter Stegen is expected to start in goal. Waldemar Anton has been ruled out with a muscular problem and replaced by Ridle Baku. Serge Gnabry is also unavailable through injury.
The most intriguing selection decisions concern midfield. Aleksandar Pavlović, Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz all impressed in the home victory over Serbia, but Kimmich is now expected to return to a central role.
Klopp praised his captain’s qualities without confirming whether he would start. He suggested that the previous meeting could offer a useful reference point, with Germany’s performance that evening built on a combination of technical quality and tactical discipline.
A midfield pairing of Kimmich and Pavlović is a possibility, with Wirtz operating further forward. Lennart Karl, Derry Scherhant and Brajan Gruda are among the candidates for the wide positions.
Wirtz finding his feet as Füllkrug returns
Florian Wirtz arrives in the Germany camp having scored his first Premier League goal of the season for Liverpool. Klopp believes the attacking midfielder is gradually establishing himself in England after a difficult start and remains convinced that a Wirtz playing at his best can make an enormous difference to the national team.
The 23-year-old has acknowledged that he feels particularly comfortable in a central attacking role. Against Serbia in Munich, his movement between the lines helped Germany create space and develop attacks through quick combinations.
Havertz is expected to lead the line, although the return of Niclas Füllkrug gives Klopp another option. The striker has scored nine Bundesliga goals this season and offers a different threat, particularly when attacking crosses and competing inside the penalty area. Younes Ebnoutalib is also part of the squad.
Serbia weakened by absences and touchline ban
Serbia have several important players missing. Dušan Vlahović is unavailable for personal reasons, while Strahinja Pavlović and Aleksa Terzić are sidelined by injury and fitness problems respectively. Filip Kostić and Aleksandar Stanković are also absent, with Saša Lukić and Nemanja Maksimović suspended after accumulating yellow cards.
Head coach Veljko Paunović must serve a touchline ban, leaving one of his assistants to direct the team from the technical area.
Paunović acknowledged that Serbia needed to improve their intensity and compete more effectively for second balls. Germany had held a clear advantage in both areas in Munich. One tactical adjustment under consideration is deploying three players in defensive midfield.
Captain Dušan Tadić is also demanding an improved performance. He believes Serbia have learned from their defeat in Germany and wants the team to build on the more encouraging display in their recent 2-1 loss to the Netherlands.
Despite Serbia’s losing streak, Klopp expects an aggressive opponent. He admitted that the hosts’ numerous absences made their likely formation difficult to predict, but stressed that Germany had prepared for different systems and intended to impose their own style regardless of Serbia’s approach.
An unusual atmosphere awaits in Belgrade
Friday’s fixture will take place under exceptional circumstances. UEFA imposed extensive crowd restrictions following racist and discriminatory incidents involving Serbian supporters. Organised groups of children and their accompanying adults will nevertheless be admitted, with around 5,000 young spectators expected alongside 50 specially selected German fans.
Klopp admitted he would have preferred to play in front of a full stadium but insisted the unusual surroundings would not affect his team’s approach. His priority is for Germany to reproduce the quality and intensity they have shown in training.
