Jurgen Klopp and Kostas Tsimikas reunite as Germany prepare for Nations League clash with Greece

Germany head coach Jurgen Klopp and Greece left-back Kostas Tsimikas stand on opposite sidelines as Group A leaders Greece prepare to face Germany in Athens. The pair shared a close working relationship at Liverpool for four seasons between 2020/21 and 2023/24, winning domestic cup silverware together on Merseyside.

Greece lead the group with seven points after defeating Serbia and Germany before drawing 2-2 with the Netherlands.

Die Mannschaft sit third, trailing the leaders by three points despite a 2-0 victory over Serbia.

Speaking ahead of the fixture, Tsimikas emphasized that Greece's tactical discipline under Ivan Jovanovic has transformed their international standing. Meanwhile, his former club manager frankly conceded that Greece fully earned their 1-0 win in Augsburg last month.

Both men reflected on the growth of the Greek national setup.

"We are proving our worth as players and as a country," Tsimikas told reporters. "We are on the verge of achieving great things. Everyone wants to play in a major tournament. We train hard, and these three matches have certainly helped us. They were stepping stones to get us here, and they made us better prepared to perform as a team."

Klopp acknowledged his side's shortcomings in their first encounter.

"In the first meeting we tried a lot of things, some of which worked out, but not enough to beat Greece," Klopp admitted. "They played with a lot of tactical discipline and their win was not undeserved, I have to say. You never know for sure in football, but you can have expectations and a strong feeling."

Klopp explained that his technical staff reviewed video footage of Greece's recent draw against the Netherlands to identify tactical cues. However, Germany's training sessions focused primarily on their own positional structures and midfield fluidity following goals from Tom Bischof and Florian Wirtz last time out.

Tsimikas and his defensive colleagues look to maintain their strong home form and restrict Germany's attack once again.

"Greece's game against the Netherlands is a hint at what they might do, but not more than that," Klopp added. "The lads will see the video of Greece that we have identified as important tonight, but so far we have only trained on what we want to do and should be doing."

Klopp and Tsimikas now turn their focus to securing a vital result for their respective nations in Athens. A victory for Greece would secure a historic double over the four-time world champions, while Germany seek three points to pull level at the top of the group standings.

Germany aim to build consistency following their slow start to the campaign.

The match kicks off at 18:45 GMT.