Head-to-Head Summary
Germany and independent Serbia have met only three times at senior level since Serbia became a separate national team.
The record is perfectly balanced:
Germany wins: 1
Serbia wins: 1
Draws: 1
Germany goals: 3
Serbia goals: 3
Germany won the first meeting 2-1 in a 2008 friendly. Serbia then produced their most significant result in the series by beating Germany 1-0 at the 2010 World Cup.
The most recent encounter finished 1-1 in a friendly in Wolfsburg in March 2019.
That limited H2H sample means current form and squad context are considerably more useful than historical trends.
Previous Meetings
March 20, 2019 — Friendly: Germany 1-1 Serbia
June 18, 2010 — World Cup: Germany 0-1 Serbia
May 31, 2008 — Friendly: Germany 2-1 Serbia
Serbia's 2010 victory remains the only competitive meeting between the independent Serbian national team and Germany.
Milan Jovanović scored the decisive goal in that World Cup group match after Miroslav Klose had been sent off. Germany eventually progressed from the group, but Serbia's victory remains an important part of the recent history between the countries.
Thursday's match will be their first Nations League meeting.
Germany Current Form
Germany's last five completed internationals before the current Nations League campaign produced three wins, one defeat and one draw that ended in a penalty-shootout loss.
June 29 — Germany 1-1 Paraguay — Paraguay won 4-3 on penalties
June 25 — Ecuador 2-1 Germany
June 20 — Germany 2-1 Côte d'Ivoire
June 14 — Germany 7-1 Curaçao
June 6 — United States 1-2 Germany
Germany scored 13 goals across those five matches but their World Cup ended much earlier than expected.
They finished top of Group E after victories over Curaçao and Côte d'Ivoire despite losing to Ecuador. Paraguay then eliminated them in the round of 32 after a 1-1 draw and penalty shootout.
That early exit eventually led to a coaching change. Klopp is now beginning a new international cycle and has immediately chosen to widen Germany's player pool rather than rely only on the established World Cup group.
Germany's attacking potential remains strong, but the Serbia match could feature a considerably different side from the one that begins the Nations League window.
Serbia Current Form
Serbia's five most recent completed internationals before Nations League Matchday 1 produced two wins and three defeats.
June 5 — Mexico 5-1 Serbia
May 31 — Cabo Verde 3-0 Serbia
March 31 — Serbia 2-1 Saudi Arabia
March 27 — Spain 3-0 Serbia
November 16, 2025 — Serbia 2-1 Latvia
The two June defeats exposed defensive problems.
Serbia conceded eight goals across matches with Cabo Verde and Mexico. Against Mexico, they took the lead but eventually lost 5-1 after defensive mistakes and a difficult second half.
Paunović has therefore entered this Nations League campaign with clear areas to improve, particularly when Serbia defend against opponents who move the ball quickly through midfield.
The squad still contains significant individual quality. Dušan Vlahović, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Lazar Samardžić, Filip Kostić and Dušan Tadić give Serbia enough experience to punish Germany if the hosts become too open.
Germany Team News and Squad Changes
Germany's situation is unusual because Klopp deliberately selected two different squads for the opening four Nations League matches.
The first 24-man group covers the Netherlands and Greece games. A further 20 players then join for Serbia in Munich and the return match away to Greece, while most of the original group return to their clubs.
Among the players joining for the Serbia match are Noah Atubolu, Jonathan Burkardt, Maximilian Mittelstädt, Ridle Baku, Brajan Gruda, Saïd El Mala, Tom Bischof and Karim Adeyemi.
There are also several first senior call-ups. Finn Jeltsch, Felix Keidel, Vitaly Janelt, Mika Baur and Derry Scherhant are among those included in the second group.
This creates both an opportunity and a risk.
Germany should have fresh legs, but Klopp will have limited training time to create chemistry between players who have rarely, if ever, played together at senior international level.
The final matchday squad could still include selected players retained from the first group, so Germany's exact lineup should remain uncertain until closer to kickoff.
Serbia Team News and Squad Changes
Paunović has named a more conventional squad for Serbia's four Nations League matches.
The goalkeeper group includes Vanja Milinković-Savić, Đorđe Petrović and Filip Stanković. Strahinja Pavlović, Strahinja Eraković and Srđan Babić are among the senior defensive options.
Midfield provides Serbia with considerable experience. Sergej Milinković-Savić, Nemanja Maksimović,