Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels suffers injury in Germany training
The German national team suffered a huge blow as Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels was injured in training and is doubtful for tomorrow’s match.
Germany face a do or die clash against Sweden on Saturday. The defending World Champions suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Mexico in their first game of the World Cup this past Sunday. Germany now need to win the remaining two games in their group in order to qualify for the next round.
Die Mannschaft suffered a crucial injury blow today ahead of their huge game. Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels has injured his neck in training and is unlikely to play against Sweden. In the pre-game press conference (via euronews) , Joachim Low said that he is not ready to take a gamble on the fitness of a player.
"“Mats Hummels will most likely not be able to play because he injured his neck in training yesterday and it has not improved until today.“He has not trained and obviously there are still a few hours but usually these things do not improve considerably overnight and tomorrow we need fit players.”"
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Despite Low’s assertion that he won’t take risks, Hummels is still hoping to be fit for the game. The center-back has been a key player for Low in the past few years. He has formed a very good partnership with Jerome Boateng in the heart of the defense for Germany. They featured together in all games in the 2014 World Cup win. This relationship has only grown over the past two seasons with both players at Bayern Munich.
Antonio Rudiger is likely the favorite to replace Hummels in the starting lineup. However, Low should strongly consider Niklas Sule for this game. Sule has a great understanding with Boateng, Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer, as they all play together at Bayern Munich. Moreover, the 22-year-old center-back has the knack of delivering in big games.
On the other hand, Rudiger has decent experience at international level. He has also been impressive for Chelsea in his debut season at the club.
The Swedish players are likely to be a threat on set-pieces, as most of their players are good in the air. Low will have to make a decision based on these factors, and he is likely to be more inclined to play Rudiger with Boateng.
Next: The Bavarian Collective: How should Germany line up against Sweden?
Germany were atrocious in the game against Mexico. The Mexican forwards tore apart the German defense on numerous occasions. Germany were quite lucky that they didn’t get a proper hammering in this game. Hummels is a huge miss, but Germany will be expected to learn from their mistakes and defend well against Sweden.