EUROPEAN NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP - DFB brings back Neuer; Groß and Anton to face Ukraine.
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is slated to make his return to the national team after a 18-month absence since the 2022 World Cup quarter-final in Qatar. The 38-year-old from Bayern Munich will take the spot of Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the lineup during the game on Monday night (8:45 pm/ARD) in Nuremberg, effectively pushing him aside.
According to coach Julian Nagelsmann, only two other changes have been made to the starting line-up compared to the successful matches against France and the Netherlands in March.
Pascal Groß replaces Toni Kroos in the six-man setup next to Robert Andrich. Meanwhile, Waldemar Anton from VfB Stuttgart is coming in to replace Antonio Rüdiger in the four-man defensive line beside Jonathan Tah. While Kroos and Rüdiger are expected to join the DFB squad in Herzogenaurach on Tuesday after Real Madrid's 2:0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final, Joshua Kimmich and Maximilian Mittelstädt are playing as the outside defenders. In the offensive sector, Nagelsmann is relying on the young talents Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz alongside captain Ilkay Gündogan, with Kai Havertz leading the charge as the central striker.
The upcoming match against Ukraine is one of the last tests before Germany starts its home European Championship. On Friday, they will have another face-off against Greece in Mönchengladbach. The tournament opener is set for June 14 against Scotland in Munich.
German starting lineup: Neuer - Kimmich, Anton, Tah, Mittelstädt - Groß, Andrich - Musiala, Gündogan, Wirtz - Havertz
