News (engl.)

Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp and goalkeeper Jonas Urbig spoke to the media on Wednesday evening ahead of Thursday’s Nations League 2026/27 home game against Serbia in Munich (20:45 CEST). DFB.de has rounded up the key quotes.

Jürgen Klopp on...

...Schlotterbeck’s injury: Nico unfortunately rolled his ankle during the warm-up without any contact. We had an MRI done straight away and he’s definitely out tomorrow. I saw him at the team base earlier and he’ll travel to Munich as well to receive treatment before heading home. Obviously, we hope he won’t be out for too long. Any further updates will come from the medical teams.

...preparations for Serbia: Apart from Schlotterbeck’s injury, everything has been very positive. We got back to the team base at 2:30 CEST on Sunday night. We trained twice on both Monday and Tuesday and had a team meeting in the evening, and we trained again this morning. Of course, we’re still disappointed with the defeat to Greece because we felt it was a game we didn’t need to lose and there were plenty of things we did well. I have to admit, the result hit me pretty hard straight after the match too. But over the next couple of days, it became clear to me that a lot of things had worked as well. By then, the new lads had arrived, and we wanted to make sure they came into a positive atmosphere. That’s what we gave them. They were in good spirits and excited to be here. We’re now as well prepared as we can be and, from our point of view, we’ve done everything we felt we needed to do. Tomorrow we’re up against a very experienced Serbia side whose results so far could easily have gone differently.

...who will captain the side: Tomorrow, the player with the most caps will lead the team out. That’s pretty much how I’ve always done it throughout my coaching career. If none of the leadership group we had at the time was on the pitch, the player with the most appearances would wear the armband. That’ll be the case tomorrow too.

...what Germany need to do against Serbia: I don’t think Serbia’s approach will be all that different from Greece’s. We had to dominate the game, we had a huge amount of possession, so there were obviously things for us to learn from that. We’ve got the footage now and we’ve used it in our preparations. What makes Serbia particularly difficult is the amount of experience they have. With some of their players – and not just Tadic – it feels like they’ve been around forever. They’re also very good footballers, of course, and we have to be ready for that. On top of their experience, they have a certain mentality where they understand what the occasion demands. You could see that in their recent games, when they gave absolutely everything for each other. But breaking down a team that sits deep is difficult for anyone, no matter how far along a team is. We’ve worked hard on that. We need to be set up properly behind the ball, our counter-press has to be really strong and we need to move the ball quickly and accurately. The goal we conceded against Greece also showed that if you try to do the right thing without really committing to it, it often doesn’t work. That’s what we’re working on now.

...the two holding midfielders and the team’s development: Even if we had the perfect partnership in holding midfield, we’d still have no chance if the rest of the team wasn’t functioning. I’ve been the coach for five days now, so there’s no way a midfield partnership can already be perfectly in sync in such a short space of time. That’s absolutely no reflection on the players themselves. We need to be patient with the process and give the players that time. The lads want to play really good, successful football, and we’ll get there. We’ll build a team that can cause problems for anyone. This is only the beginning. Of course the results matter, but they also tell us where we are at the moment.

...Nick Woltemade and Jonathan Burkardt: Nick has played in almost every attacking position for Newcastle, but we don’t intend to move him around all over the place. We want to use him as far forward as possible. He looks very happy at Juve at the moment and we’re happy to have him here too. Until now, I’d only known him from watching him on TV, but now I’ve got to know him personally as well, which is good. We’ve seen all the qualities he has and we’ll give him time. Jonny Burkardt is in excellent form as well. We’ll see who starts tomorrow and how we use them over the course of the game. Ideally, they’ll both be able to perform at their very best.

...racist comments on social media: I didn’t see them, but people like that don’t get any of my attention anyway. I don’t have time for stupidity in everyday life and I don’t have time for it on social media either. The world could learn a lot from the way a dressing room works. People are respected for who they are and what they do, not judged on things that shouldn’t matter.

Jonas Urbig on…

...making his Germany debut: I found out in training today. It’s a moment I’ve worked towards my whole life, and I’m delighted to have the chance tomorrow to play here in my home stadium and hopefully help us get our first win under Jürgen Klopp. At the end of the day, though, it’s 90 minutes of football and an opportunity for us to show what we can do as a team.

...his future with Germany: I feel sharp and ready to play and I’m just happy to be part of the squad. Everything else is up to the coach. The important thing is that there’s a great energy within the goalkeeping group and we all support each other. That’s what matters.

...Serbia’s attacking threat: They’re a very experienced side. I expect it could be a similar type of game to the one against Greece. Jovic and Kostic, who had a lot of goals and assists during his time at Frankfurt, have plenty of quality. They’ve also got a lot of dangerous players in midfield. We need to defend well.

...the pressure going into the Serbia game: Pressure is part of being an athlete. Being able to perform under pressure is what makes these occasions special for every player. When you play for Germany, the aim is always to win matches and that’s the standard we set ourselves. That’s what we work so hard for in training, and I have complete confidence that tomorrow, whatever pressure we’re under, everyone will give everything to make sure we get the result we want.

...Manuel Neuer: We speak regularly. The goalkeeping group at FC Bayern is hugely important for my development because of all the experience Manuel and Sven Ulreich bring. That helps me improve. You try to learn something from every goalkeeper you work with and add those things to your own game.

...starting for Germany despite not being first choice at club level: I just want to perform every day, whether that’s in training or in matches. Being Germany’s number one isn’t something I’m thinking about. My focus is on pushing myself every day and making the most of every opportunity. Everything else will take care of itself over time. I prefer to focus on the here and now.