Sports: Armenia vs. Germany: FIFA World Cup qualifying probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!

Nov 12 2021

Lukas Nmecha is pushing for his first international start when Germany conclude their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Henrikh Mkhitaryan's Armenia on Sunday (kick-off: 6pm CET).

The Wolfsburg forward – who was previously an England youth international – came off the bench in Thursday's 9-0 thrashing of Lichtenstein. With coach Hansi Flick expected to release several members of his squad, such as Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller, early, and with World Cup qualification already secured, Nmecha is among those expected to start. He could have Wolfsburg teammates Ridle Baku and Maximilian Arnold in support, but fellow fringe player Nico Schlotterbeck has joined a long injury list which includes Florian Wirtz and Julian Draxler. With Neuer and Joshua Kimmich absent, veteran Borussia Mönchengladbach centre-back Matthias Ginter could be the man to lead the team out at the Republican Stadium in Yerevan.

Armenia could draw level on points with North Macedonia in second in Group J in the unlikely event they beat a team ranked 77 places higher than them in the latest FIFA World Rankings, but they have a vastly inferior goal-difference anyway. The side captained by former Borussia Dortmund star Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be playing for pride in front of their home fans. Hoffenheim forward Sargis Adamyan is another familiar face for followers of the Bundesliga. Argentina-born Norberto Briasco could join Mkhitaryan and Adamyan in the final third.

Watch: Nmecha "proud" after first Germany call-up

  • Germany were the first team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, after hosts Qatar.
  • Nmecha previously scored eight goals in 31 youth international appearances with England, and then 12 in 20 with Germany's U21s.
  • Die Mannschaft have never lost an away game in World Cup qualifying.
  • Serge Gnabry was Germany's most potent attacking outlet in this qualifying campaign with five goals and an assists, four of those goals coming in five games under Flick.
  • Mkhitaryan had 41 goals and 49 assists in 140 games in all competitions for Dortmund before leaving for Manchester United in 2016.
  • Germany have won all four of their previous meetings with Armenia, with an aggregate score of 21-2.

Probable line-ups

Armenia: Yurchenko – Terteryan, Haroyan, Voskanyan, Hovhannisyan – Barseghyan, Udo, Bayramyan – Mkhitaryan (c) – Adamyan, Briasco
Out: -
Doubtful: 
Coach: Joaquin Caparros

Germany: Leno – Hofmann, Ginter (c), Kehrer, Raum – Neuhaus, Arnold – Baku, Brandt, Nmecha – Volland
Out: Adeyemi (not included), Draxler (muscular), Gnabry (not included), Kimmich (not included), Musiala (not included), Süle (not included)
Doubtful: Schlotterbeck (thigh), Wirtz (hip)
Coach: 
Hansi Flick