Fourteen years ago, Greece made Germany hold its breath for exactly 13 minutes in Gdansk — before Khedira, Klose and Reus killed their dream. Tonight in Augsburg, a different Greece returns: younger, tougher, and top of the group. Waiting for them is Jürgen Klopp — still hunting his first win in charge of Germany.

Match information

• Competition: UEFA Nations League 2026/27 — League A, Group A2, Matchday 2
• Kickoff: 20:45 CEST, Sunday 27 September — 01:45 ICT, Monday 28 September (11:45 PDT, Sunday)
• Venue: WWK Arena, Augsburg — the first Germany home game in 25 years with legal standing sections
• Referee: Chris Kavanagh (England); VAR: Andrew Dallas (Scotland)
• TV/Stream: ARD (Germany), free stream on ARD Mediathek

Team news: Germany lose two stars, Klopp rotates

Bad news piled up after the Netherlands game. Jamal Musiala tore a muscle fibre in his right thigh during the warm-up and did not play a single minute; Kai Havertz strained the back of his left thigh and came off in the first half. The DFB has confirmed both have left the camp and will definitely miss the Greece game.

The final training session on Saturday morning in Herzogenaurach brought relief: all 24 squad players trained fully, with no new injuries. Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) and Jonathan Burkardt (Eintracht Frankfurt) — promoted early from block two of the 44-man squad Klopp named for four games in ten days — joined straight in. But Klopp ruled out a Wirtz start in no uncertain terms: “Das wäre jetzt echt ein Brett und das Falscheste, was wir tun können” (“that would really be a stretch — the worst thing we could do right now”) — Wirtz only arrived on Friday night and has had no real tactical work with the team. Burkardt is also expected to start on the bench. Nadiem Amiri — who deputised for Musiala in Amsterdam — will therefore keep the No. 10 role, with Wirtz held back as the second-half joker.

The biggest change is in goal: Alexander Nübel (Beşiktaş) will start ahead of Marc-André ter Stegen — his fourth cap for Die Mannschaft. During the 15 minutes of the final session open to the media, Nübel worked individually with goalkeeping coach Andreas Kronenberg — a clear tell. Klopp publicly backed ter Stegen (“Ich bin sehr happy mit seiner Leistung” — “I am very happy with his performance”), insisting Nübel has fully earned his chance: “Alex wird spielen. Er hat sich das verdient. Ich hoffe, dass er es genießt und den Laden sauber hält” (“Alex will play. He has earned it. I hope he enjoys it and keeps a clean sheet”).

Another decision with Klopp’s fingerprints on it: to maximise recovery after the Amsterdam trip, the squad will travel by bus from Herzogenaurach to Augsburg only on matchday itself — and return straight after the game. The final press conference was therefore moved to Herzogenaurach at 14:00 on Saturday (a change approved by UEFA), with centre-back Jonathan Tah alongside the coach. The mood was relaxed: Klopp joked “Wenn die Jungs nicht performen, dann kommen meine alten Geheimratsecken wieder zurück” (“if the lads don’t perform, my old receding hairline will come back”), and noted this will be game number 1,082 of his coaching career — “Ich fühle mich da unten wohl” (“I feel at home down there”). Tah praised the new energy: “Die positive Energie, die der Trainer und sein Trainerteam reinbringen, hilft uns, mit einem guten Gefühl zu starten” (“the positive energy the coach and his staff bring in helps us start with a good feeling”).

One lovely detail: for the first time ever, Augsburg have two players in the Germany squad at the same time — goalkeeper Finn Dahmen and Hennes Behrens — and they will run out at their home WWK Arena.

Greece: the group leaders who cannot be underestimated

Under Ivan Jovanović, Greece recorded their first win of 2026 — and it was a comeback full of character. Trailing from the fourth minute in Belgrade, they kept pushing and levelled through Christos Tzolis in the 74th minute before Anastasios Douvikas sealed it 2-1 in the 90+4th.

This is a disciplined, well-organised side with familiar names: Tzolis (Arsenal) on the left wing, target man Vangelis Pavlidis, young talent Konstantinos Karetsas (who struck the post against Serbia), Kostas Tsimikas (Liverpool) and centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos. The League A newcomers arrive in Augsburg full of confidence, though without the injured midfielder Giannis Konstantelias. Klopp himself paid the opponents a special compliment: “Sie haben viele gute Spieler, vielleicht ist das eine goldene Generation für sie. Das Team arbeitet seit zwei Jahren so zusammen und so langsam sieht man die Ergebnisse” (“they have many good players — perhaps this is their golden generation; this team has played together for two years and now the results are starting to show”).

Probable lineups

Germany (4-2-3-1): Nübel — Treu, Tah, Bisseck, Brown — Nmecha, Kimmich — Adeyemi, Amiri, Schade — Ebnoutalib

Greece (4-4-2): Tzolakis — Vagiannidis, Mavropanos, Retsos, Tsimikas — Karetsas, Kourbelis, Zafeiris, Tzolis — Pavlidis, Douvikas

3 tactical keys

1. Amiri or Wirtz at No. 10? Klopp has answered emphatically by ruling Wirtz out of the starting XI: Amiri starts, Wirtz is the second-half weapon. The real knot lies elsewhere — without Musiala, does Amiri have the guile to unlock the compact 4-4-2 low block Jovanović is sure to set up? Klopp himself admitted Germany must “erzwingen” (force) Greece into a deep defensive shape, then pick the lock with the “Komplettpaket” — the complete package, attack and defence as one. It is a test of mentality for Amiri: a German No. 10 needs not just technique, but patience and tactical discipline.

2. Who leads the line: Burkardt or Ebnoutalib? With Burkardt newly arrived and likely benched, the question becomes whether Ebnoutalib can hold his own against the Mavropanos–Retsos centre-back pairing. Against a deep block, the striker’s job is not just scoring but holding up play and dragging defenders away for Nmecha’s late runs — the German football creed of the collective over the individual.

3. The right-flank duel: Treu vs Tzolis. Greece’s most dangerous attacker runs straight at Germany’s right-back — where Treu made his senior debut only three days ago. Tzolis scored from outside the box against Serbia; Treu cannot be left isolated. The whole team must press together and squeeze the space from the front, exactly as Tah and Klopp have drilled in training — that is true Teamgeist: nobody left alone in a duel.

Head-to-head

Greece have never beaten Germany in ten meetings (seven German wins, three draws). The last encounter was a June 2024 friendly, won 2-1 by Germany. The most memorable remains the EURO 2012 quarter-final, a 4-2 German victory. This is the first-ever Nations League meeting between the sides.

Prediction

Germany 2-1 Greece.

The scenario: Germany open with Klopp-style high pressing, pinning Greece into a compact 4-4-2 from the opening minutes. The first half is a battle of patience: Amiri pulling the strings, Treu and Schade overlapping, Nmecha arriving late in the box — while Tzolis and Karetsas lurk, waiting for the space behind the high defensive line to launch counters. The knot of the game comes in the first 20 minutes of the second half: if Germany have not broken through, Wirtz off the bench will be the man to decide it with a moment of genius; Nübel, on his first start, must stay ice-cold against Greece’s lightning counters. With mentality, discipline and home advantage — plus the special atmosphere of standing sections returning after 25 years — Die Mannschaft will find the decisive goal, though a clean sheet remains a tough ask without two key creators.

What do you think — can Amiri carry the attack with Wirtz on the bench, or should Klopp gamble and start Wirtz from the first minute? Drop your score prediction in the comments.