As Germany prepare for their first of three friendlies in June, all eyes are now turned towards the likely squad for their encounter with Ukraine on 12 June in Bremen. The game is of particular significance, as it will mark the 1000th international match in the history of the German Football Association (DFB).
The German national team will face a number of challenges in the run-up to the forthcoming European Championship in 2024. The first of these will be a charity match against Ukraine at the Weserstadion in Bremen. This historic encounter will lay the foundations for the German national team's future success.
The German squad for the game includes Ilkay Gundogan and Antonio Rüdiger, who were forced to miss matches in March for unsporting reasons. They plan to be part of the backbone of the team that will return to success in the coming year. However, Gündogan will be unavailable for the match against Ukraine as he was involved in the Champions League final two days earlier. The same goes for Robin Gozens, who faced his national teammates from Inter.
Compared to March, several players have returned to the roster who are also likely to get a chance to play. In addition to Julian Brandt, Lukas Klostermann, Benjamin Henriks, Robin Gozens and Jonas Hofmann, Bayern star Leroy Sane also gets the chance to play again, although he may not fit into the tactical system.
German head coach Hansi Flick plans to use three defenders in the squad: "We want to implement high attacking play through the wings and at the same time demonstrate compactness in defence by using three defenders. We are well prepared in terms of line-up selection," stated Flick.
Obviously, Niklas Süle will not be part of this defensive line-up. The Borussia Dortmund player has again failed to make the squad and Flick is demanding more from him: "I believe he still has room to grow. I want him to step up in terms of his attitude and mentality. I was 90% satisfied. But that 10% that is missing makes a big difference. That's what it's all about," said the 58-year-old coach.
Apart from Süle, other outstanding names are also missing. Mario Götze, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Müller will also remain at home. In addition, Marc-André ter Stegen and Timo Werner will not play against Ukraine.
Trapp - Ginter, Schlotterbeck, Rüdiger - Wolf, Kahn, Kimmich, Raum - Musiala - Fullbruck, Haverz.