Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann says a clean sheet is “always nice” as his side prepare to host Ghana in Stuttgart three days after coming from behind three times to win 4-3 in Switzerland.
Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz set up two goals and scored twice – including the 85th-minute winner – as Die Mannschaft’s build-up to their group games against Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador at the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued in somewhat unconvincing style.
“I expect and want us to win the game,” acknowledged Nagelsmann, suggesting that he had been surprised by the margin of Ghana’s 5-1 defeat to Austria in Vienna on the same evening.
“[Wirtz] showed glimpses of what he’s capable of, but he can play with even more intensity and do better.
“He gets decent playing time at his club but he’s missed out on many crucial matches, and we have to take his lack of rhythm into account. He’ll get another chance to improve on Monday.”
Ghana took 25 points from 10 qualifying matches to reach the finals and will face European teams in their closing two group games, taking on England and Croatia after an opener against Panama.
At 73rd in FIFA’s rankings, Otto Addo’s side are 63 places below Germany and feature Hamburg-born Union Berlin left-back Derrick Kohn among their ranks.
“I was an under-15 player at Hamburger SV and Otto was the coach of the under-19 team,” recalled Kohn, who has been called up for a second time and qualifies for Ghana through his parents, speaking to the DFB.
“We often saw each other between training pitches and talked a lot. Because he’s also German-Ghanaian, the connection was special. I was very inspired by him.
“There’s definitely a bit of Hamburg dialect in the national team; after all, [Atto and I are] not the only ones with German roots.
“When we have individual talks, we naturally speak German. In my first international match against Japan, he even gave me the instructions in German.
“There are many players these days who are children of emigrant parents. In our generation, that’s nothing special. Generally, though, the coach speaks in English or in our original language in Ghana, Twi.
“I have two homelands. I am German through and through and I am Ghanaian through and through. I feel comfortable in both cultures.
“[A match like this is] incredible – and truly a childhood dream come true.”
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Germany v Ghana team news
Germany goalkeeper Jonas Urbig has been replaced in the squad by Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen because of a knee injury.
Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade is set to start at the home of his former side, Stuttgart, while Die Schwaben’s top scorer, Deniz Undav – whose 18 goals in this season’s Bundesliga put him only behind Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane – will be involved.
“The plan is for him to get some playing time,” Nagelsmann said of Undav. “That’s not because of Stuttgart, but because of his scoring record. He deserves it.”
Bayern’s Jamal Musiala is injured and teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic withdrew from the squad as an injury precaution.
Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has a knee injury that Nagelsmann hopes will not keep the midfielder out of the finals.
Alex Nubel is on loan to Stuttgart from Bayern and will start, with Nagelsmann calling the selection a “reward” for the goalkeeper.
Defender Derrick Luckassen and forward Daniel Agyei could make their debuts for Ghana after being unused substitutes against Austria.
Defenders Marvin Senaya and Patric Pfeiffer won their first caps in that game but forwards Inaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante were not involved because of injury, with Hamburg’s Yansford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer called up in attack.
“A lot of other players are injured and I hope that everybody will, at least, be ready for the World Cup,” Addo said before the defeat, which has led to calls from some for the former winger, who played for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup, to leave his post.
Centre-back Alexander Djiku and midfielders Ibrahim Sulemana and Thomas Partey returned to the squad for the friendlies.
Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus was not named in the squad but has returned to light training following a long-term hamstring injury.
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