The Jürgen Klopp era is off to a bumpy start. Germany conceded a stoppage time goal to Cody Gakpo, resulting in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands. A few days later, Germany suffered a devastating 1-0 upset at the hands of Greece. Germany sits in third place of Group 2 of League A but will get a favorable matchup against Serbia to make up some ground and avoid the relegation playoff.
Against the same opponents as Germany, Serbia lost both matches with a 2-1 scoreline. Serbia sat deep in their shell,
allowing Greece and the Netherlands to dictate possession and pick their spots. A loss to Germany would put Serbia four points behind the group’s third place team and basically guarantee relegation.
Match Info
Location: Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Date: Thursday, October 1st, 2026
Time: 8:45pm CEST (2:45pm EDT)
TV/streaming: ViX, Find Your Country
Odds: Germany (-400), Draw (+500), Serbia (+1000)
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Team Info
Here is the predicted lineup, courtesy of BFW:
Lineup notes
- Klopp is using “Squad 2” for this friendly, as previously reported here
- For better or worse, this roster is much less experienced than “Squad 1”
- Nico Schlotterbeck’s training injury will likely sideline him for the rest of the international window
- Bayern Munich’s young midfield trio of Lennart Karl, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Tom Bischof have a legitimate chance to establish themselves under Klopp and become starters for the next decade
Prediction
Germany wins 3-0. After the frustration of the last two matches, Germany’s younger unit should be able to break down Serbia’s walls. Nick Woltemade and Waldemar Anton will both score first half headers on corners from Tom Bischof. In the second half, Lennart Karl will channel his inner Michael Olise and curl in a left-footer from outside the box.
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