Germany have already won Group E, so Julian Nagelsmann is working with a dead rubber rather than a crisis. The bigger issue is how much he changes against Ecuador after Nico Schlotterbeck was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with an ankle injury. Deniz Undav has also made selection harder by turning substitute minutes into something useful.

Schlotterbeck's absence and the reshuffle behind it

Schlotterbeck's injury removes one of Germany's expected defensive options and forces at least one change in the back line. Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rüdiger, Waldemar Anton, Jonathan Tah, Oliver Baumann, Manuel Neuer and Malick Thiaw are all part of the wider selection picture around a side that has won both World Cup matches so far.

That is why the Ecuador game looks more useful as a selection exercise than as a result watch. Nagelsmann can afford to test a few fringe players on Thursday, and the source material suggests he may make changes in several other positions to keep Germany fresh.

Undav's bench impact changes the forward discussion

Undav is the clearest case for a change. He has scored three goals at this World Cup, all as an impact substitute, and has equalled a World Cup record with five goal contributions from the bench. That sort of output usually buys a player a longer look, even in a squad with more established names around him.

His per-minute return is hard to ignore either. In Germany's 2026 World Cup campaign, he has produced 3 goals and 2 assists in just 64 minutes. For a final group game with qualification already settled, that gives Nagelsmann a straightforward reason to consider him again instead of treating the match as a pure rotation job.

Germany do not need to chase the game, but they do need to decide who plays it. With Ecuador still without a goal in their opening two group games, the match could stay calm on the scoreboard, yet the more interesting question is which fringe players get a run before the knockout rounds begin.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →