STUTTGART, Germany, March 29 : Germany will make a number of changes to their line-up for Monday’s friendly against Ghana as some players need to be rested following their draining win over Switzerland earlier this week, coach Julian Nagelsmann said.
The Germans twice came from a goal down before beating the Swiss 4-3 in a pulsating friendly on Friday.
Nagelsmann said Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nuebel would be starting with club teammate and forward Deniz Undav also being guaranteed playing time.
“Tomorrow’s game is a bit more different because we have to rotate a bit more in order to play some players who may have come from injury,” Nagelsmann told a press conference on Sunday.
“We want the players to be fit and healthy when the crunch time of the season comes.”
He said players still had busy seasons for their clubs with many involved in multiple competitions before the World Cup starts in June.
The match against Ghana is the last one before Nagelsmann’s World Cup squad announcement in May.
“I cannot promise every player will be happy in the end. There will be discussions, that’s clear,” Nagelsmann said of his World Cup squad. “Every player knows exactly where they stand, they know if their spot is safe or not.
“Two months before the World Cup, I think it is important for every player to know where they stand.”
Germany, who have not reached a final in any major international tournament since winning their fourth World Cup in 2014 in Brazil, have been drawn in Group E with Ecuador, Curacao and Ivory Coast for the June 11-July 19 tournament.
They play their opening World Cup match in Houston, Texas on June 14 against Curacao. Germany then travel to Toronto on June 20 to take on Ivory Coast before their last group game against Ecuador in New York on June 25.
Ghana are in Group L along with Croatia, England and Panama.
