Germany vs. Portugal preview: Team news and predicted lineups
After edging past Italy in the quarter-finals, Germany continue their successful UEFA Nations League campaign on home soil as they host Portugal at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday.
Germany boast a strong recent record against Portugal, having won the last five meetings between the two sides since 2006. The most recent victory came at Euro 2021, when they triumphed 4-2 under then-head coach Hansi Flick.
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But Germany captain Joshua Kimmich played down the relevance of past results ahead of the semi-final.
'That's not a topic for us within the team. It's a new team compared to the one from 2021. Both teams have changed. It'll be a completely different game,' he said at a press conference on Monday (via iMiaSanMia).
Julian Nagelsmann's side are unbeaten since their painful extra-time Euro 2024 defeat to eventual champions Spain.
Portugal, meanwhile, overcame a first-leg quarter-final defeat to Denmark (1-0), responding with a dramatic 3-2 win in the return leg to seal a 5-2 aggregate victory after extra time.
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Germany have received a boost with the return of goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who is expected to start after a lengthy injury layoff, with Nagelsmann having reaffirmed his status as the team's No. 1.
Meanwhile, youngsters Tom Bischof and Nick Woltemade have received their first senior call-ups. With both Kai Havertz and Tim Kleindienst sidelined, Woltemade could even be handed a starting role in attack.
Injuries have ravaged the German squad. In addition to Havertz and Kleindienst, Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rüdiger, and Nico Schlotterbeck are all unavailable.
Angelo Stiller, Nadiem Amiri, and Jonathan Burkardt have also pulled out after their initial call-ups, adding to Germany's growing injury list.
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'We're trying to focus on the players who are here,' said Kimmich.
'Of course it's bitter and annoying that there are so many injuries, but there's no point in talking about that because the players who are at home won't help us.
"We still have a lot of quality and enough good players to win both games," added the captain, who is set to play his 100th game for Germany.
Portugal, by contrast, are expected to arrive in Munich with a fully fit squad.
Predicted Germany vs. Portugal lineups:
Germany (4-2-3-1): ter Stegen – Kimmich, Tah, Anton, Mittelstädt – Pascal Groß, Goretzka – Sané, Wirtz, Gnabry – Woltemade.
Portugal (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa - Dalot, Ruben Dias, Inacio, Nuno Mendes - Joao Neves, Vitinha - Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao - Cristiano Ronaldo.
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