On Monday afternoon the Men's national team The second phase of World Cup preparations has begun. The team of national coach Harold Kreis completed its first ice session in Piešťany this evening. The next two international matches will take place there today and tomorrow, kicking off at 18 p.m. They will face Slovakia twice – a well-known and respected opponent and rival, DEBselection regularly. Both games will be broadcast live and free of charge at MagentaSport transfer.
Most recently, both teams met at Deutschland Cup 2024 in Landshut. The Slovaks won 6-2 and ultimately took the tournament title. The last meeting at a World Cup took place in May 2024 – back then it was the opening match of the group in Ostrava. In the sold-out World Cup Arena, the DEB-Team in front of 9.400 Fans with 6:4 the first tournament victory and thus laid the foundation for the later quarter-finals.
For the road trip to Slovakia National coach Harold Kreis Three new players have been nominated who will be in action on Wednesday. Tobias Fohrler and Lukas Kälble are in defense, Tobias Rieder is moving into the offensive lineup. Leon Hungerecker starts in goal today.
Comments on the two international matches against Slovakia
National coach Harold Kreis: "Both teams are tactically focused, both looking to play forward. Therefore, we expect two intense and attacking games against Slovakia. For us, this phase is still about gaining important insights for the team's further development. We are therefore pleased that we have integrated our three new players quickly. I am confident that we will be able to create more attacking opportunities and take more shots on goal than in the first week of our preparation. Already in the second game against the Czech Republic, we saw progress in the directness of our game. We want to continue working on this."
Striker Tobias Rieder: "It's an honor and a pleasure for me to be back with the national team for World Cup preparations, after unfortunately not being able to do so in recent years for various reasons. We have a lot of young players, the pace of training is high, and the mix in the squad is perfect for this phase of preparation. As far as my role goes, I'm trying to bring my usual game to bear both offensively and defensively to get the best possible performance for us as a team against a strong opponent like Slovakia."
World Cup preparation of the German men’s national team:
10.04.2025/19/30 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – Czech Republic 0:7 (0:2, 0:2, 0:3)
12.04.2025/17/30 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – Czech Republic 0:1 (0:0, 0:0, 0:1)
Aug 16.04.2025, 18 | 00:XNUMX p.m. | Slovakia – Germany (Piestany)
Aug 17.04.2025, 18 | 00:XNUMX p.m. | Slovakia – Germany (Piestany)
Aug 24.04.2025, 19 | 00:XNUMX p.m. | Austria - Germany (Zell am See)
26.04.2025/17/00 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – Austria (Rosenheim)
04.05.2025/17/00 | XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. | Germany – USA (Düsseldorf)