Nagelsmann's EM planning also depends on Oranje
National coach Julian Nagelsmann still has to be patient when it comes to the final planning of his European Championship preparations.
The test matches against the Netherlands and France in March, which have been planned for some time but not yet publicly confirmed, are also dependent on the draw for the European Championship groups on December 2 in Hamburg. As usual, the national soccer team will play against top-class opponents in the last matches before the squad is nominated in May.
Draw in Hamburg
The conditions: The opponents must be directly qualified for the finals, otherwise teams in this category would have to play play-off matches in March. In addition, the DFB does not want to face subsequent preliminary round opponents in the run-up to the tournament. These will be determined in just over two weeks' time in the Elbphilharmonie.
There is practically no doubt about the France duel in the spring, which, according to information from the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, will take place in Lyon. The Équipe Tricolore have qualified for the European Championship and, as one of the five best group winners, are very likely to be drawn in pot 1, from which Germany, as top of Group A, will not be drawn an opponent.
Netherlands need a win
The situation is different for the Netherlands. Oranje still need a win against Ireland or Gibraltar to secure their European Championship ticket - that shouldn't be a problem. However, as group runners-up behind France, the 1988 European Championship winners will certainly not be in the first draw and could therefore become Germany's opponents in the tournament.
If this is not the case, the March test will take place in Frankfurt am Main. The European Championship arena there was already scheduled as the venue for the Turkey game on Saturday (20:45/RTL), but was not available for an international match due to the preceding NFL games. The game will therefore now be played in Berlin.
Further test matches in June
The national team will play two more European Championship tests during the training camp at the beginning of June. After the draw, the DFB will be looking for opponents who match the profile of their first European Championship opponents as closely as possible.
Nagelsmann's National team will potentially face the Dutch team in March for their European Championship preparations, depending on the draw in Hamburg. If the Netherlands secure their tournament spot, they could be Germany's opponents, given their position as group runners-up. The German Football Association (DFB) is carefully selecting opponents for their test matches, ensuring they are directly qualified for the finals and not play-off opponents.
Source: www.dpa.com
