Defender Rüdiger accepts new national team role; Köpke backs Baumann
Germany's Antonio Ruediger (2nd R) and Deniz Undav (R) practice during a training session, ahead of Friday's international friendly soccer match against Switzerland in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Federico Gambarini/dpa Antonio Rüdiger has said he accepts his new role as challenger in the German national team but is convinced that his time will come at the World Cup in summer. Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck have established themselves as the new top pairing in central defence of Julian Nagelsmann's team while Rüdiger is back in the squad after missing the last four games due to injury.
"I will be there if Julian needs me - regardless whether as a starter or off the bench to preserve the result," the Real Madrid defender told Thursday's edition of Kicker sports magazine. "Jona and Nico are playing strongly this season and especially very consistent. Central defence is the position in the squad where we have the best options, including depth.
" Rüdiger has 81 caps, a mark only surpassed in the squad by captain Joshua Kimmich, who has 106 going into World Cup tune-ups on Friday in Basel against Switzerland and three days later in Stuttgart against Ghana. Confident for World Cup He said he is confident that he will play at the June 11-July 19 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where Germany face Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the group stage. "We need more than 11 players at a World Cup, especially this summer: The conditions will be very challenging, and also the travelling and the slightly higher number of games," he said.
The World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, with a new round of 32 introduced after the group stage. Rüdiger knows about the vast distances in the US from last year's Club World Cup with Real. Nagelsmann has backed Rüdiger Rüdiger has caused controversy in the past but he is held in very high esteem by Nagelsmann.
"What I can say is that Antonio commits himself in an unbelievable way when it comes to the national team. He is someone who extremely protects the national team family and does everything so that we have success," Nagelsmann said recently. Baumann the right choice in goal Oliver Baumann will be between the posts on Friday and Monday and deserves to be first choice at the World Cup, former Germany goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach Andreas Köpke told dpa.