Baumann replaces Ter Stegen for Germany’s Nations League games

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Thursday named Oliver Baumann to replace injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen for two Nations League games.

Serge Gnabry and Antonio Rudiger return for the matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina away on October 11 and the tie against the Netherlands in Munich on October 14.

Nagelsmann handed a first call-up to 29-year-old Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Tim Kleindienst, who comes into the 23-man squad for injured West Ham forward Niclas Fullkrug.

Ter Stegen injured his knee with Barcelona in September. With long-term Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer having retired in August, Hoffenheim’s Baumann is in line to play his first game in German colours.

Bild reported on Wednesday he could share goalkeeping duties with Stuttgart’s Alexander Nuebel in the two fixtures, but the coach rejected the idea, saying Baumann would play both games.

“He’s our number one and it’ll stay that way,” Nagelsmann said.

Baumann, 34, was first called up to the Germany squad in 2020 but is yet to take the pitch at international level.

As he has done since early 2023, Nagelsmann has continued to pick players on form, often from lesser known clubs, rather than on reputation.

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Bayern’s Leon Goretzka again missed out, as did Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi despite scoring 10 goals in his past seven games.

Real Madrid defender Rudiger returns having been rested after Euro 2024 where Germany exited at the quarter-final stage, while Gnabry returns from an injury which kept him out of the tournament.

Dortmund pair Emre Can and Maximilian Beier also miss out.