England are gearing up for UEFA Nations League action during this international break as Southgate's men look to turn their horrendous form around ahead of the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.
So far, the Three Lions boast only two points and find themselves bottom of the group, sitting behind Hungary, Germany, and Italy respectively.
And with two defeats and two draws from their opening four games, the Euro 2020 runners-up are staring at relegation to League B unless they start picking up victories.
Unfortunately, things won't be easy for Harry Kane and Co. in their next two fixtures as England will face Italy first on Friday, followed up by an interesting showdown with Germany at Wembley. Luckily for the relegation-battling nation, they have received a huge boost for the latter of those two matches.
Hansi Flick's side will be without two key players when the Germans visit Wembley, and to no one's surprise, they are two Bayern Munich men. They are Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka, with the pair catching COVID-19.
The four-time World Cup winners announced this via their official Twitter account and revealed that the goalkeeper and midfielder have been sent back home as a result. Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann and Wolfsburg's Maximilian Arnold have been called up to the squad as replacements.
@Manuel_Neuer and @leongoretzka_ have tested positive for Covid-19. Both have been isolated from the team and will depart from the hotel. pic.twitter.com/MkvzssItZm
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) September 21, 2022
Nonetheless, it should be noted that Flick has incredible depth and can replace the two Bayern Munich stars with world-class players. Ter Stegen will likely deputize in between the sticks and the manager could simply opt for a midfield partnership of Gundogan and Kimmich.
