The Germany U21 team will kick off their 2024/25 season on Wednesday when they take on Israel in Győr, Hungary (18:00 CEST). Antonio Di Salvo’s side will then travel to Tallinn for a clash with Estonia on 10th September (18:00 CEST). The head coach of the U21s announced his squad for the upcoming EURO qualifiers on Friday.
There are five new faces in the squad, as Marcel Beifus (Karlsruher SC), Tim Oermann (VfL Bochum), Max Rosenfelder (SC Freiburg), Frans Krätzig (VfB Stuttgart) and Keke Topp (SV Werder Bremen) were all selected for the first time by Di Salvo. Tjark Ernst (Hertha BSC), Kenneth Schmidt (SC Freiburg), Tim Lemperle (1. FC Köln) and Karim Adeyemi were also recalled to the squad.
Noah Atubolu (SC Freiburg) and Colin Kleine-Bekel (Holstein Kiel) are absent, as they are both in rehabilitative training. Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove Albion) was also not named in the squad after picking up a knock, while Leandro Morgalla (RB Salzburg), Jamil Siebert (Fortuna Düsseldorf) and Umut Tohumcu (TSG Hoffenheim) are all struggling for fitness following their respective injuries. Di Salvo has also agreed not to call up Youssoufa Moukoko for the upcoming U21 matches, as the striker has recently completed a transfer to a new club.
Head coach Antonio Di Salvo on…
…the long break: It’s going to be a challenge to come back together as a unit again after five months away. What’s more, we’ve hardly got any opportunities to train since our match against Israel – which is also behind closed doors – is on Wednesday. The main focus for these training sessions will be on helping the players to recover after the games at the weekend and trying to get everyone on the same page mentally and physically. It helps that the core of the team grew together in our last few games. We want to build on the positive display we put in when we played Israel at the end of March.
…the five new faces in the squad: A lot has happened since our last game in March – a few new players have really come to the fore. These five lads who received their first call ups have earned their spots in the squad by getting game time at first- and second-division level. I’m happy that they have the chance to get to know each other now in the context of the U21s and I’m convinced that they’ll settle in quickly.
…the returnees: I had a long, productive conversation with Karim. He told me that he’s looking forward to the international matches and that he wants to play well and help the team get two wins on the board. Kenneth and Tim have recovered from their respective injuries and are available for selection again. Tjark will round out our goalkeeping unit.
…the absentees: I spoke to Youssoufa and we decided that he’s going to use the international break to get used to life in Nice. It’s important that he gets involved in training as quickly as possible and gets minutes in games so that he can also contribute for us in the long run. We agreed with Noah and SC Freiburg that it makes more sense for him to stay in Freiburg following his operation so he’ll be able to start between the sticks again for the club sooner rather than later. Brajan, Colin, Leandro, Umut and Jamil are struggling for fitness after injuries or still rehabilitating.
…the games against Israel and Estonia: It’s going to be intense. We have to make sure we lay a foundation with our mindset and our desire to win in order to bring our strengths to the fore. We need to be patient and go into the games with respect for our opposition. We’re aiming to put ourselves in a good position to achieve our goal of qualifying for the EUROs with two wins.
EUROs qualification – Germany lead Poland by one point
The U21s currently sit top of Group D with 16 points. Poland are breathing down their necks, as they trail Germany by one point.
The tournament itself will be held in Slovakia in 2025. The nine group winners, as well as the three second-placed teams with the best records, will qualify. The remaining six runners up will compete in the play offs in order to determine the final three qualifiers.
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The Germany U21 team will kick off their 2024/25 season on Wednesday when they take on Israel in Győr, Hungary (18:00 CEST). Antonio Di Salvo’s side will then travel to Tallinn for a clash with Estonia on 10th September (18:00 CEST). The head coach of the U21s announced his squad for the upcoming EURO qualifiers on Friday.
There are five new faces in the squad, as Marcel Beifus (Karlsruher SC), Tim Oermann (VfL Bochum), Max Rosenfelder (SC Freiburg), Frans Krätzig (VfB Stuttgart) and Keke Topp (SV Werder Bremen) were all selected for the first time by Di Salvo. Tjark Ernst (Hertha BSC), Kenneth Schmidt (SC Freiburg), Tim Lemperle (1. FC Köln) and Karim Adeyemi were also recalled to the squad.
Noah Atubolu (SC Freiburg) and Colin Kleine-Bekel (Holstein Kiel) are absent, as they are both in rehabilitative training. Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove Albion) was also not named in the squad after picking up a knock, while Leandro Morgalla (RB Salzburg), Jamil Siebert (Fortuna Düsseldorf) and Umut Tohumcu (TSG Hoffenheim) are all struggling for fitness following their respective injuries. Di Salvo has also agreed not to call up Youssoufa Moukoko for the upcoming U21 matches, as the striker has recently completed a transfer to a new club.
Head coach Antonio Di Salvo on…
…the long break: It’s going to be a challenge to come back together as a unit again after five months away. What’s more, we’ve hardly got any opportunities to train since our match against Israel – which is also behind closed doors – is on Wednesday. The main focus for these training sessions will be on helping the players to recover after the games at the weekend and trying to get everyone on the same page mentally and physically. It helps that the core of the team grew together in our last few games. We want to build on the positive display we put in when we played Israel at the end of March.
…the five new faces in the squad: A lot has happened since our last game in March – a few new players have really come to the fore. These five lads who received their first call ups have earned their spots in the squad by getting game time at first- and second-division level. I’m happy that they have the chance to get to know each other now in the context of the U21s and I’m convinced that they’ll settle in quickly.
…the returnees: I had a long, productive conversation with Karim. He told me that he’s looking forward to the international matches and that he wants to play well and help the team get two wins on the board. Kenneth and Tim have recovered from their respective injuries and are available for selection again. Tjark will round out our goalkeeping unit.
…the absentees: I spoke to Youssoufa and we decided that he’s going to use the international break to get used to life in Nice. It’s important that he gets involved in training as quickly as possible and gets minutes in games so that he can also contribute for us in the long run. We agreed with Noah and SC Freiburg that it makes more sense for him to stay in Freiburg following his operation so he’ll be able to start between the sticks again for the club sooner rather than later. Brajan, Colin, Leandro, Umut and Jamil are struggling for fitness after injuries or still rehabilitating.
…the games against Israel and Estonia: It’s going to be intense. We have to make sure we lay a foundation with our mindset and our desire to win in order to bring our strengths to the fore. We need to be patient and go into the games with respect for our opposition. We’re aiming to put ourselves in a good position to achieve our goal of qualifying for the EUROs with two wins.
EUROs qualification – Germany lead Poland by one point
The U21s currently sit top of Group D with 16 points. Poland are breathing down their necks, as they trail Germany by one point.
The tournament itself will be held in Slovakia in 2025. The nine group winners, as well as the three second-placed teams with the best records, will qualify. The remaining six runners up will compete in the play offs in order to determine the final three qualifiers.
