BERLIN: Deniz Undav’s goals for Stuttgart this season have earned the forward his first call-up for Germany for the upcoming friendlies against France and the Netherlands.
On Saturday, he could make his debut playing against French star Kylian Mbappé in Lyon, or it could come Tuesday against the Dutch in Frankfurt.
“To be honest I don’t care who I’m playing against. I just hope that when I come in, I give everything and that’s the only thing that matters to me,” Undav said Thursday. “Hopefully the two test games are positive and then we can see.”
If Undav impresses Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, he could even make the European Championship squad. Germany host the tournament this summer and could benefit from Undav’s goals and drive.
Undav is one of six new call-ups made by Nagelsmann as the coach attempts a shakeup to get the German team out of their decline.
“Deniz is very talented between the lines, someone who moves a lot in central positions and his passing is clean in the final pass,” Germany teammate Niclas Füllkrug said of the 27-year-old forward.
Füllkrug, who has 10 goals in 13 appearances for Germany, knows Undav after twice losing to his Stuttgart team with Borussia Dortmund this season. Stuttgart knocked Dortmund out of the German Cup and Undav scored when Stuttgart won their league meeting. They meet again in the Bundesliga on April 6. For now though, they’re teammates.
“We’ve already done one or two training sessions together, and we were on the same team together,” Füllkrug said. “We worked quite well in harmony at times, and I also liked it because he’s someone who always has the urge to move forward and looks for the last ball and doesn’t have the urge the pass back. That’s where I think his great strengths are. Of course, he also has a nose for where the ball will fall.”
Undav has 15 goals in 25 games this season for Stuttgart, where he’s enjoying another loan spell from Premier League club Brighton.
It’s been a fast ascent for a player who largely escaped attention since making his senior debut for TSV Havelse at fourth-tier level in April 2015.
Four years ago, Undav was still playing in Germany’s third division for SV Meppen, where his performances earned a switch to Belgian team Union Saint-Gilloise.
Brighton signed Undav in January 2022 and loaned him back to Union for the rest of the season. He scored five goals for the English team before being loaned out again — to Stuttgart’s benefit.
Stuttgart are third in the Bundesliga and closing in on Champions League qualification.
Undav could also have played for Turkiye, but said Thursday that his preference was always to play for Germany.
“I grew up here. I like it very much here. I’ve very little connection with Turkiye, to be honest. The option was there, but for me it was very clear that I wanted to play for Germany.”
Undav stressed he’s a team player, happy to be involved whether it’s on the field or from the bench.
“I try to help the team. I think that’s the most important thing, whether you play from the beginning or not,” Undav said. “The team are above everything and I always try to be positive, to bring good vibes, and if I’m to play, to give it everything.”
Deniz Undav eyes Germany debut and shot at Euro 2024 squad
https://arab.news/pbekj
Deniz Undav eyes Germany debut and shot at Euro 2024 squad
- If Undav impresses Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, he could even make the European Championship squad
- Germany hosts the tournament this summer and could benefit from Undav’s goals and drive
Arsenal put away Chelsea to reach League Cup final
- Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium
- In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22
LONDON: Arsenal reached the League Cup final for the first time in eight years as Kai Havertz sealed a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the semifinal second leg on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side had put themselves in pole position in the first leg and Havertz came off the bench to finish the 4-2 aggregate victory in the closing moments at the Emirates Stadium.
It was a cathartic triumph for the Gunners, who had lost their previous four semifinals in the 2025 Champions League and League Cup, the 2022 League Cup and the 2021 Europa League.
In their first final for six years, Arsenal will face Manchester City or Newcastle at Wembley on March 22.
City hold a 2-0 lead over Newcastle ahead of Wednesday’s second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal haven’t won the League Cup since 1993, losing in their last three final appearances.
Now they have the chance to end that drought by winning the club’s first trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
That remains the sole silverware won by Arteta since he was hired in December 2019.
“We knew it was going to be a real battle out there. That resilience, that clarity to understand what kind of game we had to play, we did so well,” Arteta said.
“There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it.”
It is shaping up to be a memorable season for Arsenal, who are six points clear at the top of the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16 by winning all eight of their group matches.
Despite their success, Arsenal have attracted criticism for their reliance on goals from corners and set-pieces.
Arteta launched a passionate defense of Arsenal’s style of play this week, revealing he has a “massive book of people” who feel his side are the “most exciting in Europe.”
Tuesday’s war of attrition will hardly silence Arsenal’s critics, but Arteta won’t care about that after leading his team to Wembley.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior had won six of his seven matches in all competitions since arriving from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca.
But Rosenior was unable to solve his Arsenal conundrum, with the Gunners handing him the only two defeats of his brief reign.
“Arsenal know they were in a game, over both ties. We dominated the areas we wanted to in the second half, but we didn’t find that quality moment,” Rosenior said.
“It’s painful to lose. We just need to keep making improvements, which I’m seeing from the first leg to the second.”
Knockout blow
Without captain Martin Odegaard, sidelined by a muscle problem, and winger Bukayo Saka, who was injured in the pre-match warm-up at Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal weren’t at their best but still ground out the win.
Rosenior’s switch to a three-man central defense allowed Chelsea to stifle Arsenal in a scrappy first half.
The Gunners briefly shook off their shackles as Piero Hincapie’s curler from just inside the area was palmed away by Robert Sanchez.
It rained so heavily in the first half that Rosenior had to take off his soaked glasses to see what was happening.
Squinting through the squall offered Rosenior an alarming view as Malo Gusto’s misjudgment let in Gabriel Martinelli before the Chelsea defender scrambled back to block the shot.
It took 43 minutes for Chelsea to muster a shot on target when Enzo Fernandez’s long-range blast was punched clear by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea needed to push for a goal and Rosenior sent on Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian after an hour, ditching his back three.
Estevao immediately set up Fernandez for a curler that flashed over, but Chelsea’s threat petered out.
Havertz delivered the knockout blow in the final seconds of stoppage-time, rounding Sanchez to slot into the empty net after Chelsea were caught on the counter.
