Rüdiger, Reus and Havertz pull out of Germany squad
October 8, 2018
Germany coach Joachim Löw will be without both Antonio Rüdiger and Kai Havertz for the UEFA Nations League games in Amsterdam and three days later against the World Champions in St. Denis.
Juventus midfielder Emre Can has been called up as the only replacement, meaning Löw will have a 21-man squad at his disposal for the double-header.
Injury headaches for Joachim Löw
While Ilkay Gündogan (thigh) and Nils Petersen (shoulder) missed Löw's cut after failing to recover from pre-existing injuries, Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus withdrew from the Germany squad as a precautionary measure on Sunday despite an MRI scan showing his knee was injury-free.
On Monday, Rüdiger and Havertz added their names to the absentee list. The Chelsea defender was ruled out due to a hamstring problem, while Havertz picked up a knock to his knee in Bayer Leverkusen's drab 0-0 draw with Freiburg.
Read more: Kai Havertz - Bayer's baby-faced assassin
After beginning their Nations League campaign with a 0-0 draw against France, there is a need for Germany to put more points on the board to keep alive their chances of topping the group to book their place in the finals stage of the tournament in June 2019.