Germany and Slovakia go head-to-head at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Monday evening in a winner-takes-all clash for automatic qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Both sides are level on 12 points heading into the final matchday, with Germany narrowly ahead on goal difference. The victor of this fixture will secure automatic qualification to the 2026 tournament.Germany vs Slovakia – Match preview and team newsDate: Monday, 17th November.Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.Venue: RedBull Arena, Leipzig.Germany team newsGermany head coach Julian Nagelsmann is hopeful that captain Joshua Kimmich and defender Nico Schlotterbeck will be available for Monday’s crucial fixture. Both players missed the 2-0 victory over Luxembourg on Friday due to minor injuries, with Schlotterbeck nursing a foot problem sustained in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Hamburger SV, while Kimmich picked up an ankle injury in training on Wednesday.After Germany’s win over Luxembourg, Nagelsmann gave Schlotterbeck a better chance of returning against Slovakia than Kimmich. “With Schlotti, I’m cautiously optimistic; with Joshua, cautiously skeptical,” Nagelsmann told reporters. Kimmich himself said before Friday’s match that he “assumes” he will be fit for Monday’s game.Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade is in excellent form for Die Mannschaft, having scored Germany’s last three goals in World Cup qualifying. The 23-year-old netted a brace against Luxembourg on Friday, striking in the 49th and 69th minutes to secure a vital 2-0 victory. Woltemade also scored the winner in Germany’s 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland last month.Nadiem Amiri was replaced in the squad by Assan Ouédraogo on Monday after nursing an adductor muscle problem. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Slovakia team newsSlovakia secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland on Friday, with debutant Tomáš Bobček scoring an injury-time winner just three minutes after coming off the bench. The 24-year-old forward prodded in from László Bénes’ corner in the first of eight minutes added on.Denis Vavro remains a doubt after missing all 10 of Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga assignments so far this season due to an adductor injury. Though he is fit, the manager is unlikely to risk him in this all-important match.On the positive side, Ondrej Duda, having served his suspension, will be available for selection in this match.FormGermanyJulian Nagelsmann’s side have reeled off four consecutive victories since their shock 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in the opening qualifier in Bratislava on September 4. Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 and 1-0 home and away, demolished Luxembourg 4-0 in October, before Friday’s hard-fought 2-0 win in Luxembourg City. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});SlovakiaFrancesco Calzona’s Slovakia began their qualifying campaign stunningly with that 2-0 victory over Germany in Bratislava, with goals from Dávid Hancko and David Strelec. It marked Germany’s first-ever away defeat in a World Cup qualifier.The Falcons then beat Luxembourg 1-0 away before suffering their only defeat of the campaign, a 2-0 loss to Northern Ireland in Belfast on October 10. Slovakia bounced back with a 2-0 home victory over Luxembourg before Friday’s dramatic 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in Košice.Predicted lineupsGermany: Baumann; Baku, Schlotterbeck, Tah, Raum; Kimmich, Goretzka; Sane, Wirtz, Gnabry; Woltemade.Slovakia: Dubravka; Gyomber, Skriniar, Obert, Hancko; Bero, Lobotka, Duda; Duris, Strelec, Haraslin.How to watch Germany vs Slovakia?UK viewers can watch the match live on Amazon Prime Video as a pay-per-view event.Read Also – France XI vs Azerbaijan – Predicted lineup and team newsSee More – England XI vs Albania – Predicted lineup and team newsFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeThe post Germany vs Slovakia – Match preview and team news first appeared on The Football Faithful.