Hansi Flick announces Germany squad for upcoming March international break, six Bayern Munich players included

In the first international break of the World Cup year, Germany coach Hansi Flick has announced his squad. Flick’s team has not changed much, but there are a couple of notable players that should stand out.

For Bayern Munich, Manuel Neuer, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sané have all made the cut. Niklas Süle misses out due to a hamstring injury, while Leon Goretzka has been left out as he recovers from his knee problem. Although Goretzka has resumed team training for Bayern, it makes no sense to immediately call him up for international duty when he hasn’t played a second for his club so far this year.

While the Bayern contingent remains more or less unchanged bar Goretzka and Süle’s absences, there are two inclusions that might raise some eyebrows. First off, Mainz midfielder Anton Stach has received his first ever senior international callup. For those of you unfamiliar with Stach, he plays in defensive midfield, so he’ll most likely serve as backup for Kimmich.

Another notable inclusion is Benfica’s Julian Weigl, who returns to the national team for the first time in five years. As he played a significant role in Benfica’s run to the Champions League quarterfinals, fans will be hoping that he can transfer his good club form to his country.

Otherwise, Flick’s usual players have made the cut, including Chelsea’s Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, and Timo Werner, RB Salzburg’s Karim Adeyemi, Borussia Mönchengladbach duo Florian Neuhaus and Matthias Ginter, and more. Starting right-back Jonas Hofmann misses out with a muscle injury. Interestingly enough, Flick has only selected one true right-back in the form of Benjamin Henrichs, so we’ll see how he manages his defense. Thilo Kehrer could step in at right-back, having played at left-back for a few games under Flick.

Germany will play two friendlies, starting with Israel in Sinsheim on the 26th, before traveling to Amsterdam to play the Netherlands three days later.