Five senior players omitted from Germany’s November UEFA Nations League squad
Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp named a 24-member squad for UEFA Nations League group matches against Serbia at the Rajko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade on November 13 and the Netherlands at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on November 16, and several high-profile players were left out of the selection.
While most regulars were included, Klopp’s choices for the final two group-stage fixtures have prompted questions, with selections such as Niclas Füllkrug and Wael Mohya drawing attention; some established internationals were either dropped or missed a call-up entirely.
Deniz Undav, who scored three goals for Germany at the FIFA World Cup 2026, was omitted after being left out of the squad before the September international window because of poor club form; the 30-year-old VfB Stuttgart forward is yet to score in eight Bundesliga matches this season, his two goals have come in the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal, and he has two goals in 14 matches across all competitions — figures Klopp did not find sufficient to warrant a recall.
Kevin Schade, who has scored thrice in nine Premier League matches for Brentford and featured in Germany’s opening UEFA Nations League matches, was not included in the latest squad; Klopp instead selected Younes Ebnoutalib for the upcoming fixtures.
Serge Gnabry, one of the more notable absentees, impressed for Bayern Munich this season but suffered a serious left hamstring injury during Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund; the 31-year-old is expected to be out for more than six weeks and therefore did not make the latest international squad, postponing any chance to add to his 62 caps.
David Raum’s omission will surprise some observers: the 28-year-old RB Leipzig captain, a previous fixture at left-back for Die Nationalelf with 40 international caps, lost his starting place to Nathaniel Brown during the FIFA World Cup 2026 and was dropped by Klopp, with Bild reporting that Klopp criticised Raum’s defensive contribution while explaining his omission; Nathaniel Brown and Maximilian Mittelstädt are now competing for the left-back role.
Karim Adeyemi’s exclusion represents Klopp’s most notable selection decision, given Adeyemi was part of the September window squad and has scored four goals and registered three assists for Barcelona across all competitions; Klopp has bypassed the former Borussia Dortmund winger in favour of younger, less-proven options including Lennart Karl, Tom Bischof, Said El Mala, and Wael Mohya.
Germany will meet Serbia on November 13 at the Rajko Mitić Stadium and play the Netherlands on November 16 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, fixtures that complete their group-stage programme in the UEFA Nations League.