Klopp set to recall Füllkrug as he trims DFB squad for Serbia and Netherlands

Thursday's squad announcement

Germany coach Jürgen Klopp will name his second squad on Thursday, 5 November, with the announcement set for around 11:30 and Klopp taking part by video interview. After 44 players were called up for his first squad in September, he now has to cut the group to just over half for the Nations League games in Serbia and against the Netherlands. DIE WELT reports that he has only 23 invitations to hand out, citing the UEFA rule that allows 23 players per matchday squad, and that the list could be padded with a few extra players. stern.de puts the maximum at 26 players for the two matches, so the exact cap is reported differently across outlets.

Füllkrug's likely return

According to Sky, Klopp plans to nominate Niclas Füllkrug, 33, of Werder Bremen, for the games against Serbia and the Netherlands. This season Füllkrug has scored twelve goals in ten competitive matches, and in the seventh match in a row he scored in the 2:0 win over TSG Hoffenheim, equalling a Werder Bremen record set by Rudi Völler in 1982/83. For Germany he has 14 goals in 24 internationals, with his last appearance a 0:2 defeat to France in June 2025. Asked about him, Klopp said recently on DAZN:

“Niclas Füllkrug is 33. That is not my fault!”

Klopp also conceded that Füllkrug scores goals at a steady rate. A possible comeback could come in Belgrade on 13 November. Focus columnist Alex Steudel argues that either choice will draw criticism: calling up a 33-year-old who, in his view, failed in England and Italy, or leaving out a striker with twelve goals in ten matches.

Other names in contention

Sky also expects Kai Havertz to be included, and Focus reports that the Arsenal striker has 63 caps and 25 goals for Germany. Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt, who has six Bundesliga goals after his first two internationals, is also considered a strong candidate for a new call-up. Paris Brunner, 20, of AS Monaco, was discussed intensively after eight goals in eleven competitive matches, but according to Sky he probably misses out this time and sits behind Füllkrug in the current pecking order. Marc-André ter Stegen is expected to remain the first-choice goalkeeper, and Joshua Kimmich is set to keep the captain's role.

Deniz Undav of VfB Stuttgart is not expected to be called up. After a 0:2 defeat at Galatasaray Istanbul in the Champions League, he said he had received no signals from the coach and answered the question about his hopes with a single word. Asked to explain, he added:

“What am I supposed to say? Hard to be part of it without goals, right?”

Undav has scored once in the Champions League and once in the DFB-Pokal this season but has not yet found the net in the Bundesliga, while he has nine goals in 13 internationals for Germany. stern.de also reports that Leroy Sané is very likely to be left out, while Leon Goretzka has only recently returned to action at Aston Villa after knee problems. Nick Woltemade of Juventus Turin is considered unsure.

Goals and the two matches

Germany play Serbia in Belgrade on 13 November at 20:45 and the Netherlands in Berlin on 16 November at 20:45, with the Berlin game live on sportschau.de. Under Klopp the team has not yet received a goal from a centre-forward in four matches, and N-tv reports that the coach is therefore likely to lean on a proven goalscorer to protect against relegation from the Nations League. The squad choice is therefore being read as a decision about who can supply that goal. Two Serbia-bound lists of names are still open, and the final selection will be announced on Thursday morning.