Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Saturday he will make many changes to his squad for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier with Northern Ireland after Thursday’s shock defeat to Slovakia.

The four-time World Cup champions suffered their first away defeat in a World Cup qualifier, losing 2-0 to Slovakia in Bratislava in the opener of their campaign for the 2026 tournament.

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Nagelsmann, who saw his side reach their third consecutive defeat after Nations League setbacks to Portugal and France in June, said that while the team’s basic philosophy will not change, there will be changes to the starting line-up for the match against Northern Ireland.

“We have had discussions with both certain players and the whole squad,” Nagelsmann told a news conference.“The team has also clarified certain aspects internally. We analysed what to expect and outlined a strategy for tomorrow.”

“Content-wise, it will not be a completely changed team tomorrow. But on an individual level, there will be some changes. We need to play a better game.”

The Germans are the favourites to finish top of Group A, which also includes Luxembourg, but they cannot afford to continue their run of negative results.

“As coach, you have to give the players something to help them play with more emotional freedom,” Nagelsmann said.“On Sunday we need players who fit the situation. We don’t have to think about qualification, but about the match itself. It’s possible that some of the players who will play may not be at the World Cup.”

Possible sacking?

After the match, Nagelsmann said his players lacked emotional involvement and experience against Slovakia. The Germans, who are aiming to win the world title next year, have been knocked out in the group stage in the last two editions of the tournament.

“We didn’t have a good day (against Slovakia). None of us had,” Nagelsmann said, adding that he is not worried about the security of his job in the event of another slip-up against Northern Ireland in Cologne.

“Being scared doesn’t help anything. I will do my best to get the win. I’m not afraid. I am convinced we will look better than on Thursday,” he said.

“We will try to be as strong opponents as possible and win this game, which is extremely important for us and for the fans in the stands. It’s a really important match for us.”