Germany U21 head coach Antonio Di Salvo has been forced to make three changes to his original squad for November’s internationals against Belgium and Croatia following the injury-related withdrawals of Lukas Ullrich, Mika Baur, and Arijon Ibrahimovic.
Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Ullrich suffered a broken collarbone during Saturday’s defeat to Hamburger SV, while Celtic midfielder Baur has been ruled out with an ankle injury. The nature of Ibrahimovic’s injury has not been disclosed.
As confirmed by the DFB, Union Berlin defender Tom Rothe, Hamburger SV midfielder Kofi Amoako, and SV Elversberg’s Maurice Krattenmacher have been called up as replacements. Amoako and Krattenmacher are in line for their U21 debuts, while Rothe returns to the national-team setup.
Meanwhile, Racing Strasbourg defender Karim Coulibaly remains doubtful after experiencing illness symptoms. Di Salvo indicated on Monday that a decision on his participation would be made following further assessment.
Germany face Belgium in Essen on Friday, November 13, before travelling to Rijeka to face Croatia four days later. Both fixtures form part of Germany’s preparations for next summer’s U21 European Championship in Albania and Serbia.
