Germany Predicted Lineup vs. Portugal: UEFA Nations League Semifinal | OneFootball

Germany continue their bid to win the UEFA Nations League for the very first time this month, and they’ll benefit from the finals being played on home soil.

There have been three different winners of this competition since its 2018–19 inception, and Germany are first-time participants in the finals. A historic victory over Italy in Milan helped Julian Nagelsmann’s side into the final four, and they’re now facing a side they’ve had plenty of joy against in modern times.

Die Mannschaft are eight games unbeaten heading into Wednesday’s semifinal, with Nagelsmann aiding Germany’s restoration as a legitimate European superpower in the wake of another group-stage exit at the World Cup in 2022. Success eluded them at Euro 2024, but their performances last summer depicted a side on the up.

Here’s how they could line up against Portugal in the 2024–25 Nations League semifinals.

Germany Predicted Lineup vs. Portugal (4-2-3-1)

Julian Nagelsmann has turned around the fortunes of the German national team. / IMAGO/MIS

GK: Marc-André ter Stegen—Barcelona’s No. 1 has only just returned from a long-term injury, but Nagelsmann opted to include him in his squad for the finals. While he hasn’t played all that much over the past 12 months, Ter Stegen is set to start between the sticks on Wednesday.

RB: Joshua Kimmich—The Bayern Munich stalwart is in contention for his 100th cap this week, and he heads into the semifinal off the back of an excellent season with the Bundesliga champions.

CB: Jonathan Tah—This will be Tah’s first outing as a Bayern defender for the national team. The experienced centre-back recently joined the Rekordmeister on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.

CB: Waldemar Anton—In the absence of Antonio Rüdiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, Borussia Dortmund’s Anton is most likely to get the nod alongside Tah.

LB: Maximilian Mittelstädt—It’s a toss-up between Mittelstädt and Raum at left-back. The former was impressive at Euro 2024 and has generally been Nagelsmann’s preferred choice.

CM: Pascal Groß—An advanced playmaker for much of his time in the Premier League, Groß has grown more comfortable operating from a deeper position since returning to Germany.

CM: Leon Goretzka—Goretzka was out of the limelight for a while, but a resurgent campaign in Munich has seen the midfielder return to the national team.

RW: Leroy Sane—A big summer lies ahead for Sané, who’s featured sporadically for the national team in recent years. The winger enjoyed the most productive scoring season of his career in 2024–25 and hasn’t got too much competition for a starting role here.

AM: Florian Wirtz—With Jamal Musiala out, Wirtz is a shoo-in to start in Munich. The Leverkusen playmaker was excellent in the Bundesliga again in 2024–25, and there’s no doubt that plenty of Liverpool supporters will be tuned into Germany’s upcoming fixtures.

LW: Serge Gnabry—Nagelsmann must be tempted by Karim Adeyemi, who was superb for Dortmund during the second half of the season. However, he could also opt for experience in Gnabry and utilise two Bayern players out wide.

ST: Deniz Undav—Maverick forward Nick Woltemade should make his debut for the national team this month, but the young striker’s teammate, Undav, is likely to lead Germany’s line against Portugal. Their leading 2024–25 Nations League scorer, Tim Kleindienst, is absent.