Germany debut in sight

Niklas Stark could make his Germany debut this Wednesday (20/03/19) as the national team faces Serbia in a friendly match. Other Hertha players could be in action elsewhere.

The trip to training camp was not so far for Niklas Stark. The centre back travelled with former Hertha player Nico Schulz to the German team hotel in Wolfsburg. The city in Lower Saxony will play host to Joachim Löw’s men’s first game of 2019 on Wednesday (20/04/19) against Serbia. The match is a chance for Stark to make his debut for the German first team. “I said after I was called up that it has always been a dream to play for Germany. It is crazy and I am so proud to have this opportunity,” said the 23-year-old, who has represented Germany 42 times at various youth levels, winning the European Championship with both the under-19 and under-21 teams.

Therefore, Stark won’t have to adjust massively, even if the step up from youth levels is a big one. The Hertha man has already trained alongside his new teammates. “I’m not the only debutant. The whole team has welcomed us really well. It isn’t hard for someone to settle in here,” explained Stark. Despite the big occasion on a personal note, the defender appreciates that what happens on the field is more important, and that the 2014 champions will come under scrutiny. “Of course you see what is written in the media. However I’m only concerned about what I can show the coaches in training. If I do make my debut, it will be an unforgettable moment, but if not I am already having some fantastic experiences here,” said Stark, who has been given the number 17 shirt. The centre back has two chances to make his debut for his country, as Die Mannschaft also face the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Sunday (24/03/19) in the first match of Euro 2020 qualification. Germany’s other Group C rivals are Northern Ireland, Estonia and Belarus.

Difficult fixtures for Jarstein and Co.

Rune Jarstein faces some tough challenges with Norway, as his country will face Spain in Valencia (23/03/19) before hosting Sweden in Oslo (26/03/19). The game will be a meaningful one for Norway head coach Lars Lagerbäck, who is Swedish and coached his country for nine years between 2000 and 2009. Jarstein’s Norwary are in Group F along with Romania, Faroe Islands and Malta. Meanwhile, Hertha’s Ondrej Duda and Peter Pekarik will represent Slovakia as they host Hungary (21/03/19) before travelling to Cardiff to face Wales (24/03/19). Slovakia’s other Group E opponents are Croatia and Azerbaijan.

Valentino Lazaro will face Poland (21/03/19) with the Austrian national team before travelling to Israel three days later as they look to make a strong start in Group G ahead of facing Slovenia, North Macedonia and Latvia later on in the qualification campaign. Czech Republic, with Hertha’s Vladimir Darida, will kick off Group A when they face England in London (22/02/19) four days before a returning to the Czech capital for a friendly against Brazil. Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo make up the rest of the group. Jonathan Klinsmann has been named in the USA U23 squad as they take on Egypt (22/03/19) and the Netherlands (24/03/19). Javairô Dilrosun was named in the Netherlands U21 side but was forced to pull out due to a muscle problem and will as a result stay in Berlin.

Hertha represented in youth sides

Maximilian Mittelstädt, Arne Maier and Jordan Torunarigha have all earned call ups to the German U21 national team for the game in Essen against France (21/03/19), as well as the away trip to England five days later. “We are hoping that a lot of fans can come and support us,” said U21 coach Stefan Kuntz, who won the U21 European Championship with a German side which included Davie Selke, Niklas Stark and former Hertha man Mitchell Weiser. Florian Baak has been named in the German U20 squad for fixtures against Portugal in Sandhausen (22/03/19) and an away clash against Poland (26/03/19). “These games are good test against strong opposition. Portugal won the U19 European Championship in July 2018 and Poland are a physically robust side,” said U20 interim coach Thomas Nörenberg. Palko Dárdai was also named in the squad alongside Hertha teammate Baak, but was forced to miss out due to a back problem. Dennis Smarsch has been named on a replacement list should any of the original squad become unavailable.

Dennis Jastrzembski will look to help his country qualify for this year’s U19 European Championship after being called up to the German squad. Jastrzembski and his team-mates will travel to Sinj to take on Croatia (23/03/19) before facing Hungary in Dugopolje (26/03/19). “We travel to Croatia with the objective of qualifying for the U19 Championship as group leaders and want to be recognised as one of the top eight teams in our age bracket,” said Guido Streichsbier, who named Luis Klatte and Jessic Ngankam among his list of replacements.