German coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Friday that he sees no reason to change the line-up that caused problems for World Cup debutant Curaçao last week during his team’s second match against Ivory Coast.
The West African side are likely to pose a much tougher test for Germany in their match at Toronto Stadium on Saturday, but Nagelsmann said he was confident in his team’s preparedness.
“There is no obvious reason to change anything,” he told reporters, adding: “We will sleep on it and see if everyone wakes up fit and well tomorrow and then we will make a decision.”
Nagelsmann came to the defense of Leroy Sane, whose performance against Curaçao was questioned.
The criticism “was really not justified after that game.”
“Some say he’s not enthusiastic enough, but he really moved a lot during that match,” Nagelsmann said.
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Nagelsmann, who took over the German national team in 2023, wants to lead his country out of the World Cup group stage for the first time since the 2014 tournament in Brazil, which Germany won.
He said his team had to be ready for Ivory Coast’s fitness, defense and speed.
«Their speed is one of their biggest strengths and I think they are the best at it,» he told reporters, highlighting French-born Ivorian winger Nicolas Pepe.
“During the last game he was everywhere,” Nagelsmann said of Pepe.
«We have taken a number of measures and prepared accordingly so that we can take away as much strength as possible. We will not always be successful because they are simply too good,» Nagelsmann said of the West African side.
Published on June 20, 2026
