Euro 2020 qualifying: Löw puts faith in Gnabry

Serge Gnabry (pictured above) will start against the Netherlands on Friday but Leon Goretzka will miss out through injury, Germany coach Joachim Löw has confirmed.

Germany are looking to do the double over the Netherlands in Euro 2020 qualifying following their dramatic 3-2 win in Amsterdam in March, when Gnabry scored the Nationalmannschaft's second goal.

"Serge has speed to goal, good technique, and can play on different levels, which is hard for the opponent to grasp," Löw told a press conference in Hamburg. "He is fit and will play on Friday from the start."

Löw added: "With me, Serge is always going to play."

Goretzka sidelined

Gnabry missed out on Bayern Munich's Bundesliga victory over Mainz last weekend with a slight injury, but one player who hasn't recovered from injury is midfielder Goretzka, who Löw confirmed will not be ready in time.

"Leon Goretzka is nursing a minor injury that has been nagging him for some time. He will not be able to play tomorrow," Löw said, bemoaning the injuries that have limited his options.

"This means I have to think about other options. It is a shame really because this young team needs to play with more or less the same starting lineup over several matches."

Leroy Sane, Julian Draxler, Thilo Kehrer and Antonio Rüdiger are already sidelined with various injuries, but there was a hint that Julian Brandt may get the nod.

"Julian has made a very good impression so far, both in training with the national team and with Borussia Dortmund," Löw said.

Upturn in form

Germany are still recovering from a disastrous 2018 that saw them go out of the World Cup in the first round, Mesut Özil quit international football citing racism, and get relegated from the top European Nations League group.

Löw took the drastic decision to end the international careers of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Thomas Müller in early 2019, putting his faith in Germany's young players instead. And there has been an upturn in form since the turn of the year, with the team winning each of their three qualifiers since, including that big win against Friday's opponents.

Toni Kroos, who spoke before Löw at the press conference in Hamburg, admitted that the team was still on the path to recovery.

"We can expect setbacks with so many young players in the squad, but we're on the right track," the Real Madrid midfielder said.

Victory would see Löw's men move level with Northern Ireland at the top of Group C, ahead of Germany's trip to Belfast on Monday. The pressure is on the Netherlands, meanwhile, with Ronald Koeman's side in need of a victory to boost their hopes of direct qualification for next summer's tournament.