Jürgen Klopp makes Germany managerial debut against Netherlands in Nations League opener

Return to the dugout

Jürgen Klopp will manage his first match as Germany head coach on Thursday evening against the Netherlands at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam. The UEFA Nations League fixture takes place 858 days after his final match with Liverpool on 19 May 2024, when his team defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0. Klopp, whose contract extends through the 2030 World Cup, takes charge 87 days after Germany suffered an elimination against Paraguay at the World Cup in the United States. His five immediate predecessors in this century (Rudi Völler, Jürgen Klinsmann, Joachim Löw, Hansi Flick, and Julian Nagelsmann) all won their opening matches as Germany coach. Speaking in Amsterdam, the 59-year-old declined to issue any title guarantees for either Euro 2028 or the 2030 tournament.

I do not want to promise anything. What I can promise is that people will see that we definitely want to try.

Preparations and squad selection

Klopp structured his autumn preparations by naming two 22-man squads for the four Nations League matches, working with a 24-player selection in his opening camp. Marc-André ter Stegen will start in goal for his international comeback, while team captain Joshua Kimmich returns to central midfield. Freiburg debutant Philipp Treu and Stuttgart defender Josha Vagnoman remain the two options competing for the right-back role. During Wednesday morning training in Herzogenaurach, Klopp surprised attending media by holding an unscripted 15-minute conversation on the pitch before the squad boarded their flight. The manager pointed out that he enters the fixture facing Netherlands head coach Xavi, who is also overseeing his first game in charge of the Dutch side.

I know more Dutch players personally than Xavi does. Whether that is an advantage, I do not know. It is a fact nonetheless.

Rivalry and upcoming fixtures

Across 48 previous matches between Germany and the Netherlands, the German side has collected 18 wins compared to 12 for the Dutch, with the most recent duel ending in a 1-0 German victory in October 2024. Following Thursday's opener in Amsterdam, Germany will host Greece in Augsburg on Sunday and face Serbia in Munich four days later. The squad will then travel to Greece for an away fixture on 4 October before concluding their group campaign against the Netherlands in Berlin on 16 November. Klopp stressed that his players must treat the Amsterdam fixture as a derby match to secure an opening result in the competition.

Special kit presentation

Germany will take the pitch in Amsterdam wearing a black kit featuring golden vertical stripes after securing formal approval from UEFA on Wednesday. The vertical stripes are constructed from small diamond patterns, which the German Football Association stated symbolize more than 24,000 amateur football clubs across the country. The shirt serves as a farewell jersey for Adidas ahead of the association's transition to Nike in 2027. The German team had originally planned to wear a green retro shirt reminiscent of the 1990 World Cup before switching to the black design, while the squad will return to traditional white shirts for the subsequent home games in Augsburg and Munich.