Germany vs. Iceland: Lineups, team information, Jonas Hofmann and Marcel Halstenberg in isolation, and the latest news (Updated)

Update: 10:30AM EST

The DFB has formally announced that Hofmann and Halstenberg have been quarantined, but that all others players have tested negative and are ready for game action against Iceland later today:

Hofmann, of course, was the player who tested positive for COVID-19. Halstenberg played a game of backgammon against Hofmann which lasted longer than 15 minutes — and subsequently earned the RB Leipzig defender the classification of “Category 1” contact per the DFB.

For the latest news on this developing situation, please follow this post.

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Update: 9:35AM EST

As noted in our other post, a game of backgammon has entered the fray and cause the second player (Marcel Halstenberg) to go into isolation:

Update #DFB :#Halstenberg had to leave because he was with #Hofmann Played backgammon on Wednesday night. Contact person 1! The game lasted over 15 minutes. MH now has to be in quarantine for several days in Leipzig, although it tested negative.@berger_pj @SPORT1

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Update: 8:40AM EST

News broke this morning that one player has tested positive for COVID-19, while another was placed in isolation due to “close contact.”

The match against Iceland is still scheduled to be played.

For the latest news on this developing situation, please follow this post.

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With Bayern Munich on hiatus, Germany will face-off with Iceland in a FIFA World Cup qualifier for Group J.

The Germans should be the favorite here, but things have not always been so great of late under manager Joachim Löw. With a few injuries and not a lot of defensive quality or depth, there are no sure things during this qualifying round.

Let’s take a look at who’s in and who’s out.

Team News

If you missed the roster release, the graphic below will give you an idea of the player pool that Germany is working with:

Germany, however, has already been hit by the injury bug as it has lost the following players:

• Niklas Süle (muscle strain)
• Toni Kroos (adductor)
• Robin Gosens (muscle injury)
• Jonas Hofmann (COVID-19 positive)* — updated March 25th: 9:00AM EST
• Marcel Halstenberg (COVID-19 close contact isolation)* — updated March 25th: 9:00AM EST

So, where does Löw go from here?

Honestly, it is impossible to tell. Like...I can’t even guess what formation the outgoing manager will use. Because of that, I took a look at three potential formations (plus a bonus formation of what I would try if I was filling out the lineup card) using a number of different players.

Given how non-impactful Germany has been of late, Löw really could go a number of ways:

Option #1: 3-4-3

Option #2: 3-5-2

Option 3: 4-3-3

Writer’s Choice: 4-2-3-1

(Please note that predicted lineups were developed before the COVID-19 news broke on Thursday morning)