Burkardt replaces Stiller for Germany’s Nations League games

BERLIN (AP) — Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has called up Mainz forward Jonathan Burkardt to his squad for upcoming Nations League games after Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller dropped out with an injury.

Burkardt will join the team at its training base in Herzogenaurach on Friday, the German soccer federation said Tuesday, in preparation for the Nations League semifinal against Portugal in Munich on Wednesday, and the final or third-place playoff against either Spain or France four days later.

The 24-year-old Burkardt has played three games for Germany. He was the Bundesliga’s top-scoring German player with 18 goals for Mainz this season.

Stiller, who starred for Stuttgart as the team won the German Cup on Saturday, dropped out with a recurrence of the ankle ligament injury that had kept him out for two weeks previously. The DFB said Stiller has “not completely healed.”

Stiller was involved in three of Stuttgart’s four goals as it defeated Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 in the cup final.

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