Overview

• Julian Nagelsmann will announce his roster on Wednesday for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia in Bratislava on 4 September and Northern Ireland in Cologne on 7 September, with Rudi Völler promising a few surprises.
• Marc-André ter Stegen is sidelined for months after another back operation and has lost his Barcelona starting spot, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck are also unavailable.
• Despite public backing for Manuel Neuer from prominent figures, Nagelsmann and Völler say a recall is off the table for now.
• Oliver Baumann is expected to serve as the interim number two in goal and has stated he is ready to start if ter Stegen remains out.
• Nagelsmann plans to return Joshua Kimmich to defensive midfield, reopening the right-back question as several U21 options — including Noah Atubolu, Paul Nebel, Nick Woltemade, Nnamdi Collins, Nathaniel Brown, Max Rosenfelder and Rocco Reitz — are being considered.