Jamal Musiala has been shockingly excluded from Germany’s starting lineup for the 2026 World Cup clash against Paraguay. Germany is set to square off against Paraguay on Monday, June 29th, in a highly anticipated Round of 32 clash at Gillette Stadium in Boston. However, Jamal Musiala’s surprise omission from the starting XI immediately raised eyebrows and sparked questions among fans just before kickoff.
Musiala will begin the match on the substitutes’ bench following a tactical choice by head coach Julian Nagelsmann. The manager has opted to sacrifice the playmaker’s flair and creativity in favor of a more physical, robust starting lineup designed to go toe-to-toe with a notoriously stingy Paraguayan defense.
To execute this game plan, Nagelsmann has moved Kai Havertz into the attacking midfield role behind the striker, the space typically occupied by Musiala. Meanwhile, the vacant No. 9 position will be filled by Deniz Undav, who has emerged as Die Mannschaft’s top scorer with three goals this tournament and will serve as the physical target man to battle Paraguay’s center-backs.
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