Klopp’s Germany Target Nations League Response Against Tsimikas’ Greece

Germany coach Jurgen Klopp has centred his preparations for the Athens showdown with Greece on his own side’s structure, after admitting the Group A leaders deserved their 1-0 victory when the teams met in Augsburg last month.

Klopp’s Germany face a Greece team captained in defence by his former Liverpool player Kostas Tsimikas at 18:45 GMT, with the home side able to complete a notable double over the four-time world champions. Greece sit top of the section on seven points, three clear of Germany, who are third despite beating Serbia 2-0 in their most recent outing.

Germany’s win over Serbia featured goals from Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz, but Klopp has demanded greater consistency after a sluggish opening to the campaign. A German victory in Athens would take them level with Greece at the summit.

“In the first game we attempted many things and some worked, but not enough to beat Greece,” Klopp said. “They were very disciplined tactically and, honestly, their victory was deserved. In football you can never be completely certain, but you can build expectations and have a strong sense of what may happen.”

Klopp and his staff have studied Greece’s 2-2 draw with the Netherlands for clues, although the coach said the bulk of Germany’s work on the training ground has concerned positional play and movement through midfield. The players were due to review selected footage of Greece before the match.

“The Netherlands match gives an indication of what Greece could do, but it is no more than that,” Klopp said. “The squad will watch the important clips tonight, but until now our training has focused on what we need to do.”

Former Liverpool colleagues meet again

Tsimikas worked under Klopp at Liverpool for four seasons, from 2020-21 through 2023-24, as the pair won domestic cup honours together. Now on opposing touchlines, the left-back believes Greece’s progress under coach Ivan Jovanovic has changed the team’s standing.

Greece opened the group with wins over Serbia and Germany before drawing with the Netherlands, and Tsimikas says those performances have strengthened a squad targeting qualification for a major tournament.

“We are showing what we are worth, both as players and as a country,” Tsimikas said. “We are close to doing something important. Every player wants to reach a major tournament. We work hard, and these three games have helped us a lot. They have been steps forward and made us more ready to perform together.”

Greece will again rely on the defensive discipline praised by Klopp as they attempt to blunt Germany’s attack on home soil and protect their advantage at the top of Group A.