Lennart Karl among trio confirmed to start for Germany vs. Finland | OneFootball

Lennart Karl is set to make his first start for Germany when they host Finland in the first of two friendlies before their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign kicks off.

“He made a very good impression in training,” expressed Julian Nagelsmann. “Lenny will get his chance tomorrow to show what he can do.”

Karl enjoyed an exceptional breakout 2025/26, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Bayern Munich, including scoring in three successive UEFA Champions League games, one of which came against finalists Arsenal.

In addition to the teenager, Nagelsmann also confirmed starts for Felix Nmecha and Aleksandar Pavlovic while, as of now, Deniz Undav will also start in attack.

Ahead of the World Cup, there was doubts whether VfB Stuttgart’s goal-getter would be included in Nagelsmann’s 26-man squad, let alone start. But after 25 goals and 14 assists in 46 matches in all competitions, the 29-year-old, who has four goals in seven games for the national team, has his time to shine.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder