Klopp backs Mohia as Germany prepare for Serbia match in unusual setting

Jurgen Klopp says Germany are focused on beating Serbia in Friday’s Nations League match, despite the unusual atmosphere created by a 5,000-strong crowd of children in the stands.

Serbia are serving a punishment imposed on the Serbian Football Association by UEFA, meaning supporters cannot attend the match as normal. Around 5,000 Serbian children have instead been permitted to watch the game.

“Tomorrow, we will have to send 5,000 Serbian children home thinking that football does not always bring victory,” Klopp joked at his pre-match news conference. “But they will have another chance next time. I do not want to threaten anyone, but our aim is to win the match, even though it will be played in front of children.”

Klopp said he was looking forward to a demanding test for his side as they continue their preparations to compete at the highest level.

“I am looking forward to it. It is a test for us,” he said. “We are doing all this with one final objective in mind, which is to be ready for competition. Tomorrow’s match is a genuinely competitive game and I expect it to be extremely difficult.”

He added: “It will be a real test of where we are now and how far we have come. Of course, we want to show that we have used our time well. We still have a few hours to do that, so everyone can see what we produce on the pitch. As I said, I am looking forward to the match.”

Klopp rejects claims over Mohia

Klopp also criticised reports suggesting that 17-year-old Wael Mohia had been dropped from Germany’s squad for the game.

Mohia travelled to Belgrade with the national team but will not be included in the matchday squad because Nations League rules allow only 23 players, while Klopp selected 24 for the trip.

“I would like to talk about Wael Mohia because it has become a newspaper headline saying that he was left out of the squad,” Klopp said. “That is completely removed from what happened. It is simply nonsense. We have not dropped him, of course.”

“I spoke to Wael beforehand and, unless something changes, he will not be in the matchday squad. We want him to experience this fully. When I imagine myself at 17 and someone told me I could be part of a team at this level, I would have taken every opportunity available to do that.”

Klopp added: “That is exactly the situation. He is training brilliantly and is in very good condition, but he has not been dropped. He is here with us.”

Mohia is regarded as one of the leading emerging talents in German football and plays in midfield for Borussia Monchengladbach. He holds German and Moroccan citizenship but represents Germany at youth level.

Born on 31 December 2008, Mohia joined Monchengladbach’s academy aged eight. He became the club’s youngest player to appear in the DFB-Pokal in October 2025, before becoming its youngest Bundesliga player when he faced VfL Wolfsburg in December of the same year.