Germany will have to make do without their veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer for the team’s last World Cup preparation match against the United States scheduled for Saturday.
The 40-year-old Bayern Munich captain has been sidelined since picking up a calf injury three weeks ago. He will also sit out Saturday’s fixture after missing the final training session on Friday ahead of the match.
“He is feeling good and progressing well towards full recovery. However, we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks tomorrow,” Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann said during Friday’s press conference.
“Our aim is to make sure he is in top condition for the entire tournament,” Nagelsmann added.
Neuer is expected to return to action when Germany open their World Cup campaign against Curaçao on June 14.
“He will be completely fit by the first group match and will rejoin full team training next week,” confirmed Nagelsmann.
With Neuer unavailable, Oliver Baumann will once again start in goal on Saturday, just as he did during Germany’s 4-0 friendly win over Finland last Sunday.