The number one is out. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann will be without Marc-André ter Stegen at the end of the season.

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann will be without goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for the test matches against Turkey in Berlin on Saturday (20:45/RTL) and against Austria in Vienna next Tuesday.

The 31-year-old is suffering from back problems, is unable to train or play and will travel back to his club FC Barcelona, said Nagelsmann on Friday evening in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

ter Stegen is likely to be replaced by Frankfurt’s Kevin Trapp. Nagelsmann announced that he would make the decision after the final training session. Joshua Kimmich is likely to play in the six-man midfield position, with Nagelsmann confirming on Friday that he does not see the Bayern professional as a right-back. Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs will be deployed on the right side of defense. His club colleague David Raum is likely to play at left-back.

Ter Stegen will “hopefully be treated so well in Barcelona that he will soon be 100 percent fit again”. The national team coach said he could not yet give a prognosis on how long he would be out of action. “That will probably be decided by the doctors in Barcelona.”

The DFB team’s style of play will not change as a result of the absence. “The others can also play good soccer,” said Nagelsmann about Trapp and the other goalkeepers Oliver Baumann and Janis Blaswich, who have yet to make an international appearance. “We’re not going to start bludgeoning things forward now, regardless of who’s between the posts,” said Nagelsmann.

For ter Stegen, missing out on the internationals at the end of the year is a setback. He was the national team’s clear number one after Manuel Neuer’s serious injury. Neuer should return to the squad for the international matches in March if he remains fit. The 37-year-old had announced his intention to fight for a regular place in Germany’s goal on the way to the 2024 European Championship at home