Football | Nations League: The German team wants to win the title via Portugal

On Tuesday, the holes were filled. Several square meters of hybrid turf were installed at the Munich Arena to repair the surface. Paris Saint-Germain fans tore memorabilia out of the turf last Saturday after their team's 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final .

Filling the gaps in his squad may not be as easy for Julian Nagelsmann as it is for the greenkeepers. When the national coach had named his squad for the Nations League finals, it was already clear that Jamal Musiala, Tim Kleindienst, Kai Havertz, Antonio Rüdiger, and Nico Schlotterbeck would be out. Angelo Stiller, Nadiem Amiri, and Yann Bisseck were gradually added. And Jonathan Burkardt, a late nominee, had to leave the German national team's base in Herzogenaurach due to injury.

The long list of absences, however, does not change the fact that the German Football Association (DFB) selection continues to have its highest goals ahead of this Wednesday's Nations League semi-final against Portugal. "We want to get to the point where we can win titles together again. Even if it's only a small title, it's very important for us as a group," the national coach said right at the start of the training session in Herzogenaurach. The last time the German national team won a tournament was in 2017. Back then, they won the Confederations Cup in Russia, before being sent home as disgraced defending champions after the group stage of the World Cup there a year later. This time, the aim is to win the Nations League in order to strengthen their position for the bigger goal of winning the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico next year. "We want to continue to feed our self-confidence with good performances and results," said Nagelsmann.

Captain Joshua Kimmich wants to send a positive message "externally, but also internally" with two victories. "Of course, the tournament doesn't have the same significance as a World Cup or European Championship , but I also thought winning the Confederations Cup in 2017 was really cool – I'd put the Nations League somewhere on that level," he explained, adding: "It simply gives you confidence when you feel like you're on the right track and then receive confirmation in the form of victories and titles."

Winning the final tournament should give the German national team a boost. This is all the more hopeful because two wins against two top nations are needed to win the Nations League title. First against Portugal this Wednesday, then against Spain or France, who will play the second semi-final in Stuttgart on Thursday. Should the German team beat Portugal, they would play again in Munich on Sunday evening in the final. Otherwise, the match for third place against the loser of the second semi-final would take place in Stuttgart that afternoon.

In all of this, Nagelsmann is working on putting the right pieces of his personnel puzzle together to fill the gaps left by key players. He will have to change the face of his team significantly compared to the quarter-final against Italy at the end of March, as almost half of that squad is now missing. Six players from his starting eleven that drew 3-3 with Italy in the quarter-final second leg in Dortmund are unavailable. All parts of the team will have to be re-staffed, from the goal with number one Marc-André ter Stegen, who has returned after a long injury layoff, to the striker position, which could include debutant Nick Woltemade. "We still have a very, very good team," Nagelsmann assured.

Portugal has a full complement of players to choose from. In addition, Portuguese PSG players Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, and Gonçalo Ramos are returning to the Munich Arena just four days after their Champions League title-boosting run. Vitinha posted a photo with Mendes, Neves, and Ramos after the final victory against Inter and captioned it "Portugal Saint-Germain." Incidentally, their national coach, Roberto Martínez, was just as keen on winning the title for the Final Four as his colleague, Nagelsmann.