World Cup qualifying game in Luxembourg
Nagelsmann will probably have to do without Schlotterbeck
Updated 11/12/2025 – 3:40 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Nico Schlotterbeck is one of the top performers at BVB and in the DFB team. But in Luxembourg the national coach will probably have to rely on a different defender.
The German national team has to play the next World Cup qualifier in Luxembourg, but one person could be missing: Nico Schlotterbeck. The central defender threatens to miss the game on Friday (from 8:45 p.m. in the t-online live ticker). The Dortmund player continues to suffer from the effects of a foot injury and was unable to train with the team on Wednesday.
The DFB announced that they were looking forward to the second game against Slovakia on Monday in Leipzig “with hope”. Schlotterbeck suffered the injury last Saturday with Dortmund in a 1-1 draw in Hamburg. He suffered a flesh wound and his foot also swelled. The final training session before the game at the Stade de Luxembourg will take place on Thursday morning in Wolfsburg.
Schlotterbeck’s defense colleague Jonathan Tah is optimistic about the future. “It looks pretty good. He’s laughing and smiling a lot, it feels like it’s going in the right direction,” he said. As a replacement for Schlotterbeck, his BVB teammate Waldemar Anton will move alongside the Munich player Tah. Nagelsmann will definitely have to do without the suspended Karim Adeyemi in Luxembourg.
The DFB selection leads Qualification Group A with nine points and would qualify for the finals with two more wins. The last qualifying game in Leipzig against Slovakia, who are currently tied on points, is on Monday (8:45 p.m. in the t-online live ticker). Four points might be enough, otherwise there would be a detour via the playoffs for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.