Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp looks set to spring a surprise with his starting line-up for Friday evening's Nations League match in Serbia (8.45pm).
As Bild reports, Brajan Gruda, back in the squad for the first time after a long absence, is set to start on the right wing in Belgrade. The RB Leipzig attacking midfielder looks set to get the nod over Bayern Munich's highly rated youngster Lennart Karl, who had also hoped to start.
A start would give Gruda his senior international debut. The 22-year-old joined the senior national team for the first time in the run-up to Euro 2024 and was in then Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann's squad for a 0-0 friendly draw against Ukraine, but did not play.
Brajan Gruda waited a long time for another Germany call-up
More than two years passed before Klopp earmarked Gruda for the second part of his expanded squad for the September and October internationals, although the Leipzig player had to withdraw because of an abdominal muscle strain. Klopp has now also included Gruda in his 24-man squad for the Nations League matches in Serbia on Friday and against the Netherlands next Monday.
"He is a street footballer and a terrific player with the ball who has not yet fulfilled his potential. He does not have to at his age, but he has shown a lot of positive signs," Klopp said in praise of Gruda when announcing the squad in early November. The former Mainz player has been in fine form for Leipzig recently, with five assists and two goals in 13 appearances so far this season.
Still young enough to play for the under-21s, Gruda has made 20 appearances for the side, who have a European Championship coming up next summer. His last under-21 appearance came in late March, in a 3-0 win against Northern Ireland in European Championship qualifying.
While Gruda and Karl vie for the right-wing spot in the current Germany squad, either Derry Scherhant (SC Freiburg) or Said El Mala (1. FC Köln) is likely to play on the left against Serbia. According to Bild, Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich) is meanwhile expected to get the nod over Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund) alongside Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) and Florian Wirtz (Liverpool) in the three-man midfield.