Germany vs. North Macedonia: Lineups, team information, and the latest news

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

Die Mannschaft iced Iceland 3-0 last Thursday, outlsted Romania on Sunday 1-0, and will now look to close off this break with another victory over North Macedonia.

The Germans should be the heavy favorite here once again, but with a few players banged up, it will be interesting

Let’s take a look at who’s in and who’s out (Hint: It’s still ugly).

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/illness bug as it has lost the following players:

• Niklas Süle (muscle strain — OUT, already returned to Bayern Munich)
• Toni Kroos (adductor — OUT, already returned to Real Madrid)
• Jonas Hofmann (COVID-19 positive — OUT, already returned to Borussia Mönchengladbach)
• Marcel Halstenberg (COVID-19 close contact isolation — OUT, already returned to RB Leipzig)
• Robin Gosens (muscle injury — QUESTIONABLE)
• Leon Goretzka (calf injury — PROBABLE)
• Leroy Sane (hamstring injury — PROBABLE)

At this point, Gosens should just sit out and ensure he returns to Atalanta at 100%, while Goretzka and Sane each played against Romania. Still, with even minor knocks, this would be a good game for Löw to rotate those two out.

So, where does Löw go from here?

Let’s take a guess that the 2014 World Cup winner will stay with the 4-3-3 setup that he used in the games against Iceland and Romania:

Key points:

• Löw said he expects to keep the same lineup “for the most part”, so I am gambling that he comes to his senses and doesn’t use Goretzka or Sane...or heck, even Gosens.

• I’m probably a dope, but I think Löw will sit Goretzka and Sane. I’d expect Florian Neuhaus and Timo Werner to get the call in filling those spots.
• I do think, however, that Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry will remain in the XI.
• Marc-André ter Stegen should be in line for a start.
• We know that İlkay Gündoğan will be the captain, so that means Neuer is definitely out.

• Löw reportedly told Timo Werner that he doesn’t trust him, but this seems like the kind of thing Löw would do before starting Werner.
• I’d fully expect to see Florian Neuhaus filling in for Goretzka.

Other possibilities:

• Sane does not get a rest day and plays despite his injury, which removes Werner.
• Goretzka plays despite any remnant of his injury and removes Neuhaus.

Do you have any other idea for the lineup? Let us know in the comments below!