Germany U21 vs Latvia U21: Preview, team news and predicted lineups  | OneFootball

Germany U21

Germany head into qualifying on the back of a 2-0 friendly win over Albania on Friday. Antonio Di Salvo will be quietly pleased with the performance, particularly given the number of changes from the summer’s tournament in Slovakia. Once again, the U21s are reshaping themselves with a new-look squad.

Despite all the pressure in the first half, the front three of El Mala, Weiper and Tresoldi just couldn’t make the breakthrough as Albania stood stern. Ten half time changes is where the game swung in Germany’s favour, as debutants Ilyas Ansah and Dzenan Pejčinović both netted within the first seven minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach. “We both said to each other before the game that we wanted to make an impact, ideally with a goal," revealed Pejčinović afterwards. "Ilyas and I both know each other well, including our routines, but the fact that we both scored is, I think, the icing on the cake."

That instant impact gives Di Salvo a selection headache for Tuesday. Weiper and Tresoldi remain trusted figures after helping Germany reach the final in Bratislava, but Ansah and Pejčinović have forced their way into the conversation for a starting spot. The battle for places in attack will be one to watch.

Midfielder Umut Tohumcu is relishing the chance to play in front of home support in Rostock: “It's always better when there are a lot of fans. You can hear the support, and against Latvia here in Rostock, we hope that maybe we'll even break the 10,000 mark. Then you automatically want to show off even more. I think everyone is looking forward to it.”

Team news:

Augsburg midfielder Anton Kade was forced to withdraw with injury shortly before the Albania match, but Di Salvo has opted not to call up a replacement, leaving him with a 22-man squad. No new injury concerns were reported from Friday’s friendly.

Latvia U21

Latvia enter qualifying still searching for their first-ever appearance at a U21 European Championship. Standing in their way are the likes of Germany, Greece and Northern Ireland - all of whom will fancy their chances of making the 2027 finals.

Coach Jakub Dovalil has assembled a squad packed with homegrown talent, with 18 players drawn from seven Latvian clubs. The rest of the group is spread across teams from England, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia, Estonia and Georgia.

Since taking charge, Dovalil has placed strong emphasis on giving opportunities to new players. His debut match in March saw a 2-0 win over Lithuania, when an incredible 16 players earned their first U21 caps. Five more followed in June’s 1-0 defeat to Austria, and as many as six further debuts could come against Germany, including Nikita Pinchuk, Lenards Berzins, Markus Strods, Kristers Otto Augusts, Danny Brian Ambato Anisjko and Kristers Volkovs.

Although Latvia’s last official match was the Austria defeat in June, they warmed up for this fixture with a friendly against Latvian top-flight side FK Tukums on Friday, losing 4-3 in an open encounter.

Team news:

On Monday, it was reported that Kristaps Grabovskis - who plays his club football in Denmark - had linked up with the squad. It remains unclear whether this was an additional call-up or to replace an injured player.

Predicted lineups

Germany U21 (4-3-3): Backhaus (GK) - Baum, Jeltsch, Quarshie, Rothe - Kemleim, Tohumcu, Gruda - Weiper, Ansah, El Mala

Latvia U21 (4-3-3): Stūriņš (GK) - Suško, Semeško, Mihaļcovs, Tihonovičs - Mežsargs, Patrikejevs, Ivulāns - Grabovskis, Patika, Lizunovs