David Raum Finally Gets His Germany Chance Against Greece

Three days ago, David Raum looked set to get his first opportunity under Jürgen Klopp.

We wrote ahead of Germany's Nations League meeting with Serbia that the RB Leipzig captain was expected to start. Instead, Raum spent the entire 2-0 victory on the bench as Maximilian Mittelstädt was preferred at left-back.

Tonight, the opportunity has finally arrived.

Klopp has made three changes for Germany's return meeting with Greece in Thessaloniki, and Raum is one of them. He replaces Mittelstädt on the left side of the defence and makes his first start under the new national-team coach.

The timing makes this an important night for the 28-year-old.

Raum did not arrive with Germany on the back of particularly convincing club form. After a difficult start to the season at Leipzig, where his attacking output has dropped and his performances have not reached the level expected of one of the club's most important players, his status with Germany has become uncertain too.

Since the World Cup, Nathaniel Brown has moved ahead of Raum in the national-team hierarchy, leaving the Leipzig captain needing to establish himself again as Germany begins a new cycle under Klopp.

That process has been complicated by the unusual structure of this international window.

Klopp initially selected 44 players across two groups for Germany's four Nations League fixtures. Raum was part of the second group alongside Leipzig teammates Ridle Baku and Brajan Gruda, meaning he was not involved in the opening matches against the Netherlands and Greece.

Serbia was supposed to be his first chance.

It never came.

Germany won 2-0 without him, giving Klopp his first victory as national-team coach and leaving Raum with only one match remaining in the window to make his case.

That makes Greece more than simply another international appearance.

Germany already knows how dangerous the opposition can be. Greece beat them 1-0 in Augsburg only a week ago and enter tonight's return fixture ahead of Germany in the Nations League group.

For Raum, it is also an opportunity to change the direction of his own start to the season.

He remains Leipzig's captain and one of the most experienced players in a squad that changed considerably during the summer. But neither the armband nor his previous international experience guarantees him anything under Klopp.

Everyone thought his audition would begin against Serbia.

Three days later than expected, Raum finally has the stage. Now, it's about siezing that opportunity and showing Klopp, he can count on him.

From here the stage only gets bigger.