An injury at a critical moment: a fresh blow for Germany before the decisive clash

Germany will lose one of their players before tomorrow's meeting with Serbia, scheduled for Thursday at the Allianz Arena in Munich in the third round of the UEFA Nations League.

The player in question is Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck. He picked up an ankle injury today, Wednesday, ruling him out of the upcoming games against Serbia and Greece. He will not need surgery, according to German newspaper "Bild" .

Schlotterbeck suffered the injury during a light competitive drill, just before the start of Germany's final training session ahead of the Serbia clash. The players had split into four groups, each dribbling the ball between zigzag poles.

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Losing control of the ball, he veered into another group, twisted his right ankle and fell to the ground clutching it.

The Dortmund defender left the session and underwent an MRI scan. It confirmed the new injury is not as serious as the one he suffered during the 2026 World Cup, and that no surgery is needed.

Jürgen Klopp is still chasing his first win as Germany's new coach. His side drew their opener away to the Netherlands (1-1) before slumping to a surprise home defeat by Greece (1-0) in the second round.

Third in Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League on one point, Germany trail leaders Greece on six and the Netherlands, who sit second with four. Serbia prop up the group with none.