A bitter blow for Julian Nagelsmann: Joshua Kimmich has suffered an ankle injury and will be out of the national soccer team’s penultimate World Cup qualifying game.
As the DFB announced on Thursday, the captain suffered a capsular injury to his right ankle during training on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was unable to take part in the final training session in Wolfsburg on Thursday due to the injury.
The Bayern professional should still travel with the team to the game in Luxembourg on Friday (8.45 p.m.). Kimmich’s appearance on Monday (8:45 p.m.) in the decisive game for the direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup against Slovakia in Leipzig is apparently not in question at the moment.
Ridle Baku will probably be in the starting eleven
Therefore, for the time being there would be no fear of any impact on the further course of the season for Kimmich at FC Bayern. National coach Nagelsmann will explain details at the press conference in Luxembourg.
For Kimmich, Ridle Baku from Leipzig should take the position as right full-back. The 27-year-old was brought back to the DFB team by Nagelsmann in October after a long break as a backup for Kimmich.
Who will take over Joshua Kimmich’s captain’s armband?
The failure in the captaincy question is piquant. Kimmich’s deputies Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz are not part of the current squad after injuries. After Kimmich (105 international matches), Leroy Sané (70) has the most DFB appearances. The 29-year-old from Galatasaray was brought back into the squad by Nagelsmann after a break but only as a probationary measure.
Other possible candidates for the symbolic captain’s armband would be Munich’s Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and Jonathan Tah or goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who at 35 is the oldest player in the squad. Kimmich’s loss is the second setback in the national coach’s defensive personnel planning.
Nico Schlotterbeck also has to pass
It was already practically certain that Nico Schlotterbeck would not be available in Luxembourg either. The Dortmund defender sustained a wound on his foot in the game against Hamburger SV on Saturday that had to be stapled. The 25-year-old only started running training again on Thursday.
Schlotterbeck should also be able to play again against Slovakia in the best possible way. For him, his club colleague Waldemar Anton should move into the back four, which also includes Tah in the center and Leipzig’s David Raum as a left-wing player. The national team has not yet qualified for the World Cup finals. With two wins in Luxembourg and against Slovakia, first place in Group A and a direct ticket to the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada would be secure.