To begin, England defender John Stones was recently sent home from the Three Lions' September camp after complaining of a minor muscle injury. It remains to be seen just how bad that problem is for the City and whether he will feature against Manchester United this weekend. "He came with minor issues and didn't progress as we thought and hoped he would, so he left camp this morning," said Thomas Tuchel when asked about Stones' omission from England's two internationals against Andorra and Serbia.
Germany are in Group A of European World Cup qualifying for the 2026 World Cup where they are to face Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. Their campaign starts this September and will all be done and dusted by the middle of November, provided Germany meet their expectations and top the group. If they don't and finish second they will have to play in playoffs in March 2026.