Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlović was a half-time “precautionary” withdrawal in Germany’s roaring 6-0 World Cup Qualifying victory over Slovakia on Monday, but fortunately, the issue is nothing
serious.
Germany men’s national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann called it “a bit of calf problems” after the game in remarks captured by @iMiaSanMia, which described the move as “a precautionary measure” only.
The Germans made good on their World Cup qualification hopes with the win after falling to Slovakia just a couple months earlier. At the time, Die Mannschaft appeared to be at a crossroads, and even just a few days prior, could only turn in a not totally convincing — if needed — 2-0 win over Luxembourg.
Now, though, the vibes have changed completely. As for Pavlović, the youngster was his usual composed self, picking his passes with precision and recording an impressive 100% accuracy on his five long distributions in a first half that saw four Germany goals. He made way for Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha for the second.
Bayern returns to action this Saturday in the Bundesliga against SC Freiburg, and then face Arsenal next Wednesday in a huge Champions League test. Hopefully Pavlović will be rested and 100% by then. Pavlović started the season still dealing with injury issues, but the young midfielder’s importance for club and country is steadily increasing.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
