European Championship national team
Rüdiger ready for Denmark – Nagelsmann keeps striker question a secret
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Julian Nagelsmann on preparation for the European Championship round of 16
The German national team will face Denmark in the European Championship round of 16 in Dortmund. The declared goal is to reach the next round. National coach Julian Nagelsmann will provide information about the preparations at a press conference.
Julian Nagelsmann can probably rely on defensive leader Antonio Rüdiger in the round of 16 of the European Championship against Denmark. The national coach does not want to reveal whether he is planning to make a change in the offensive for the game in Dortmund. He has already made the decision.
They arrived in Dortmund late on Friday afternoon. It was the first time that the German national football team had flown at this European Championship. The association had previously used a bus to get from the team headquarters in Herzogenaurach to the venues – but the distance was a maximum of 220 kilometers. For the round of 16 match against Denmark on Saturday (9 p.m., ZDF and MagentaTV), however, they had to cover 450 kilometers.
At around 7 p.m., Nagelsmann appeared before the press in the Dortmund Arena, where the knockout match will be played in front of 62,000 spectators. The national coach seemed focused. The most important question, whether central defender Antonio Rüdiger is fit to play, was not long in coming.
“Our medical department has worked well in the past few days. His training this morning was good. He is ready to play at the moment. We are happy that he is back. He is very important,” said the national coach. “We will wait and see through the night and day. But if nothing major happens, then he could play.”
“I have made my decision for tomorrow,” says Nagelsmann
Rüdiger pulled a thigh muscle in the third group match against Switzerland (1:1). He was treated afterwards and trained mostly individually. He then trained fully for the first time on Friday morning at the final training session. Rüdiger will form the central defender duo with Nico Schlotterbeck. The Dortmund player will play for the yellow-card-suspended Jonathan Tah.
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Nagelsmann left it open whether there will be a change in the offensive. Recently there were signs that Niclas Füllkrug, who was used as a substitute in all three group matches, might move into the starting eleven – either alongside Kai Havertz or for the Arsenal striker.
When Nagelsmann was asked about this, he said briefly: “We decide who plays. But I am not giving out any information.” When there was another question about this, he added: “I have made my decision for tomorrow, but I will not tell you.” He had “not followed the media discussion about the personnel issue at all” and he had “enough to do.”
Final training before the European Championship round of 16: Antonio Rüdiger (r.) warming up alongside Kai Havertz
Source: Getty Images/Alexander Hassenstein
After three tournaments in which the German team disappointed – elimination in the group stage at the 2018 World Cup and the 2022 World Cup and elimination in the round of 16 at the 2021 European Championship – German football fans are hoping for a more successful tournament. Expectations are enormous. “It will be a great game with a great atmosphere. The journey is not over yet, we want to make it to the next round,” said midfielder Robert Andrich at the press conference on Friday evening.
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When Nagelmann was asked whether he felt any pressure, he replied on Friday evening: “I’m still quite relaxed because the coaching team is well prepared and the team is well prepared too. We are prepared. I have great confidence in the team because I know what they can achieve.”
A knockout game, he continued, is of course always something special because, above all, you cannot afford to make any mistakes. “But that is the same for both teams. I hope we can meet the expectations of the Federal Republic.”
Denmark fears for Eriksen and Delaney
Denmark is worried about the availability of leading player Christian Eriksen ahead of the match. As national coach Kasper Hjulmand confirmed on Friday evening, the Manchester United midfielder is complaining of stomach and intestinal problems and therefore had to miss training on Friday morning. “He’s feeling better again. We expect him to be able to play tomorrow,” said Hjulmand.
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Thomas Delaney, who suffers from similar problems to Eriksen, does not seem to be on the road to recovery yet. The Danish national coach left it open whether the former Bremen and Dortmund professional can replace the suspended midfielder Morten Hjulmand as planned: “We have a plan B for every player.”
Regardless of the recovery of the two professionals, Hjulmand sees his team as underdogs, but believes they have a chance. “Germany is one of the favorites. But we also have a great team. They have to be very good to beat us,” he said.
