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Euro 2020 qualifying: Germany vs. Northern Ireland live buildup | Sports| German football and major international sports news | DW

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Northern Ireland vs. Germany (20:45 CEST, Monday, September 9)

— Joshua Kimmich was the player sat alongside Löw in the press conference ahead of the game and the Bayern Munich man is ready for a battle.

“We need to react, and that’s something that we will do,” he said. “Anyone who thinks tomorrow will be a walk in the park is completely off the mark.”

— We know that Löw will be keeping faith with one of the old guard tonight in Manuel Neuer but is there any way back for Boateng, Müller and Hummels? A fair number of people in the German press have suggested so in the wake of the defensive errors that cost Germany on Friday night.

It’s difficult to see Löw going back on such a public, and big, call at this point and the reasons remain largely sound. But anything less than a win tonight and those calls may become louder.

“Northern Ireland play with one central striker, which means for us that we only need two central defenders instead of three,” the coach has said. It’ll be interesting to see whether that’s Ginter or Tah. History suggests Löw will go with the former.

— Here’s how the German squad are preparing themselves for later on. It looks like they’re operating in more of a function room than a gym, but I guess they had the relevant permissions.

— Amid the talk of changes and recriminations after Friday’s display, it’s worth remembering that Germany had won 14 straight games in major tournament qualifiers since October 2015 before that game. Surely they can’t go two in a row, can they?

— This has been widely acknowledged as a rebuilding period for Germany but Kai Havertz, probably the best regarded of the country’s latest generation, hasn’t quite made the breakthrough on the international stage. Could tonight be his night?

— Here’s Michael O’Neill on the size of the task for Northern Ireland tonight.

“It [a positive result] would be right up there in terms of great Northern Ireland results,” the Northern Ireland boss said. “We’ve had big nights here in the past – the wins against England [2005] and Spain [2006] – but ultimately they never really led to anything.

“They didn’t lead to qualification. It was just a great experience and a great night for the fans. A result tomorrow night not only will be that but will also be a key factor in terms of qualification for Euro 2020.”

Northern Ireland face Germany and the Netherlands twice each in their next, and last, four qualifiers.

— Northern Ireland top this qualifying group with four wins from four but have yet to play one of the big boys. All four wins have been fairly narrow, with Michael O’Neill’s men yet to score more than twice. A 1-0 friendly win over Luxembourg also speaks to a lack of real potency at the front end.

But O’Neill made history by taking his side to Euro 2016 and they’re defensively sound, with Premier League regulars Craig Cathcart and Jonny Evans the main men at the back. There’s bound to be a feverish atmosphere at Windsor Park, it could prove a tough task for Germany.

— Further back on the pitch, questionable defensive displays from fellow center backs Jonathan Tah and Matthias Ginter against the Netherlands have increased the pressure on Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle as the leader of the defense.

But the former Hoffenheim man recently admitted that organization is a part of the game he has to work on. “In my communication off the field, I am very strong. On the pitch, I am still lacking a little bit to be considered a real defensive leader,” he said last week.

With Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels consigned to the international wilderness, the squad do seem to lack a bit of nous and knowhow. Joachim Löw will hoping Süle and his teammates develop it over the rest of this campaign.

— We know that the absence of Nico Schulz will force at least one change for Germany tonight but there’ll surely be more given the nature of the performance against the Netherlands. Julian Brandt, who has impressed for new club Borussia Dortmund largely from the bench, said he’s looking to get more than cameo appearances for the national side too.

“Of course 10 minutes isn’t my aim, that’s clear,” the 23-year-old told broadcaster Sport 1 at the weekend. “I can imagine we might switch from five at the back to four against Northern Ireland which gives someone the chance from the bench.” Will he be the man? It feels like Germany might need a player of his creative talents to unlock hosts who seem likely to sit deep.

— For the stat nerds out there, this will be Germany’s 18th game against Northern Ireland. The last meeting came in a World Cup qualifier in 2017, a game that Germany won 3-1 thanks to goals from Sebastian Rudy, Sandro Wagner and Joshua Kimmich. Germany’s record in this fixture is 11 wins, four draws and two defeats. The last defeat came in Euro qualifying back in 1983 – Norman Whiteside’s goal was enough to win the game in Hamburg.

— There were also calls for Mats Hummels to return after the defensive fraility on show in Hamburg. Löw has poured cold water over that, and quickly too. Amidst all of that talk and the Havertz hope, there’s also the goalkeeper question. What of Marc-Andre ter Stegen? He will sit on the bench, again. That ends that then.

— Excluding Gündogan from this graphic, who would you play in your starting XI for Germany tomorrow night? Tweet us your answers at DW Sports!

— In Belfast, Germany will be without Nico Schulz (ligament tear in his foot) and Ilkay Gündogan (flu). Löw seemed to suggest that Gündogan would have started, but without him perhaps there’s a chance for Kai Havertz?

— Hello! Germany are licking their wounds a bit after their defeat to the Dutch in Hamburg. There were question marks about style of play as Joachim Löw’s rebuild took a blow. Perhaps it was just a reality check for this Germany side, who are maybe not as good as they think they are? In any case, they have the chance to set the record straight on Monday night.

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