Germany will take on the United States in their last friendly before the World Cup without Manuel Neuer. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper remains sidelined as he continues recovering from a calf injury sustained three weeks ago.
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that the veteran shot-stopper did not participate in Friday’s final training session and will not be involved in Saturday’s fixture. According to the coach, Neuer’s recovery is progressing well, but the team has decided against taking any unnecessary risks so close to the tournament.
Nagelsmann explained that the priority is ensuring the goalkeeper reaches the World Cup in the best possible condition, rather than rushing him back for a friendly encounter.
Germany expect Neuer to return for tournament opener
Despite missing the match against the United States, Neuer is still expected to be available for Germany’s opening World Cup game against Curaçao on June 14.
The national team boss expressed confidence that the goalkeeper will be fully fit in time for the start of the competition. He also revealed that Neuer is scheduled to resume full training with the squad next week.
Germany’s coaching staff, therefore, remains optimistic that the 40-year-old will be ready to reclaim his place between the posts when the tournament begins.
Baumann set to start as Karl joins injury list
With Neuer unavailable, Oliver Baumann will once again be handed goalkeeping duties. The experienced keeper also started Germany’s previous friendly, a convincing 4-0 victory over Finland last Sunday.
The squad will be missing another player as well. Bayern Munich prospect Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the United States match after suffering an unexpected injury during training.
As a result, the 18-year-old will not feature in Germany’s final preparation game before the World Cup gets underway.