22' WERNER SHOULD’VE EQUALISED THERE! Germany finally come alive after some sloppy play by Maksimovic, who cheaply gives the ball away in midfield and Klostermann plays in the Leipzig striker, who is in acres of space with only Dmitrovic to beat but for the keeper’s outstretched leg to stop Die Mannschaft’s best chance of this game so far!
18' Germany still have the ball, but their ponderous play is playing right into their opponents’ hands, who scored from only their first attack of this match.
15' Low’s side are looking frantic out on the Volkswagen pitch, and are attacking their visitors in waves. However, Serbia are known for their defensive prowess, and this young side will have to be at their craftiest to break through.
N. Maksimović
Assist
12' Excellent awareness by Maksimovic, whose flick-on freed up Jovic in the six-yard box with the goal at his mercy.
L. Jović
Goal
12' GOOOOAAALLLL!! JOVIC GIVES SERBIA THE SHOCK LEAD! A beautiful one-two between Ljajic and Milenkovic-Savic forces Sule to concede a corner, and the former’s subsequent set-piece is flicked on by Maksimovic towards the in-form Eintracht Frankfurt striker in space, leaving him free to head the ball past Neuer! It’s 1-0 to Serbia in the Volkswagen, and Die Mannschaft’s World Cup hangover continues!
10' Bogosavac slips as he tries to get on the end of Dmitrovic’s pass, conceding a throw-in to Germany in the process. Die Mannschaft continue to probe, but the visitors are happy to sit back and defend in their two banks of four.
8' Gacinovic wins a free kick off Brandt after a spell of Serbian possession, only for Bogosavac’s cross to be collected by Neuer.
5' Brandt tries to play in Sane, but the Manchester City winger is unable to get on the end of the former’s throughball and Dmitrovic easily sweeps up the opportunity.
3' Dmitrovic does well to get a hold of Havertz’s decent effort after the Leverkusen youngster attempted a low drive from close range!
2' The debutant Klostermann already attempting to stamp his mark on the match, forcing a corner off Milenkovic after an ambitious foray towards the visitors’ penalty area. The set-piece is dealt with, but Low’s young side retain possession and are playing keep-ball in these early moments.
1' The hosts are decked in their home colours of white shirts and black shorts, while the visitors are out in all-red for this match.
1' Referee Bobby Madden blows his whistle, and Germany get us underway at the Volkswagen!
The players are out and kick-off is drawing near.
If Eggestein comes off the bench later, he will be the first Werder Bremen player to make his debut for Die Mannschaft since Gnabry first appeared for Low’s side against San Marino back in November 2016.
Krstajic also makes six changes from the team that vanquished Lithuania 4-1 in the same competition, including favouring Dmitrovic over regular goalkeeper Rajkovic for this friendly. Veljkovic and Milan Rodic make way for Spajic and Bogosavac in defence, while talisman Milinkovic-Savic returns alongside Lazovic in midfield in favour of Lukic and Zivkovic, giving Krstajic some solace despite the absences of key players Nemanja Matic and Marko Grujic. Finally, Jovic gets the nod up front ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Low makes six changes from the side that drew 2-2 against the Netherlands in their final Nations League match back in mid-November, including handing Leipzig right-back Klostermann his debut for Die Mannschaft. He comes in for Rudiger, while Halstenberg makes his first appearance for the national side since 2017 in place of Schulz in midfield. Gundogan and youngster Havertz are tasked with playmaking duties in midfield in favour of Kroos, and Brandt replaces Serge Gnabry out on the wing while Tah partners Sule at the heart of the defence in favour of Kehrer and Hummels. Finally, despite his World Cup winning-teammates’ exiles from the side, Neuer retains his place between the sticks.
SUBSTITUTES: Andrija Zivkovic, Stefan Mitrovic, Milos Veljkovic, Nemanja Radonjic, Branko Jovicic, Predrag Rajkovic, Nemanja Miletic, Milan Pavkov, Sasa Lukic, Nikola Vasiljevic
SERBIA XI (4-3-3): Marko Dmitrovic; Antonio Rukavina (c), Uros Spajic, Nikola Milenkovic, Miroslav Bogosavac; Nemanja Maksimovic, Mijat Gacinovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic; Darko Lazovic, Luka Jovic, Adem Ljajic.
SUBSTITUTES: Leon Goretzka, Matthias Ginter, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Stark, Maximilian Eggestein, Thilo Kehrer, Toni Kroos, Marco Reus, Kevin Trapp, Nico Schulz, Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
GERMANY XI (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (c); Lukas Klostermann, Niklas Sule, Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich; Ilkay Gundogan, Marcel Halstenberg; Julian Brandt, Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane; Timo Werner.
And without further ado, let’s take a look at how both sides line up, starting with the hosts.
On the other hand, Serbia haven’t tasted defeat since the 2018 World Cup, having enjoyed a six-match unbeaten run that has seen them win four times and top their Nations League group in the process. Mladen Krstajic’s men should be able to ride that wave of confidence into Wolfsburg despite their status as underdogs for this friendly, and will aim to give their more illustrious opponents something to think about given the hosts’ World Cup hangover as they too prepare for a difficult opening to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against the reigning champions Portugal on Monday.
Germany are still to recover from their disastrous performance at the 2018 World Cup, having only won two of their six matches since last summer’s showpiece and also suffering the ignominy of getting relegated from their UEFA Nations League group during the autumn. However, much of the pre-match talk has centred around Joachim Low’s decision to inform stalwarts Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Thomas Muller that they would no longer be taken into consideration for international duties going forward, so all eyes will be on Die Mannschaft’s team selection as they prepare for a tough start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign at the Netherlands in four days’ time.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this friendly contest as Germany host Serbia at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg!
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