After Dortmund draw with Leipzig 1-1, Dortmund coach Kovac expressed his hope that the German team can save on Schlottbeck.

Schlottbeck made a comeback two weeks ago, and has since played three times in the Bundesliga, and played only 70 minutes in the 4-1 Champions League victory over Bilbao to protect his physical fitness.

Schlottbeck himself returned to Germany with great motivation. He said: "I am very happy to be selected for the national team. This is a recognition. I haven't played football for six months and now I can be nominated for only three games. It is a recognition from Nagelsmann for me. I will do my best to deal with the game as usual."

But Kovac has a different view. He said in an interview: "A player who has been injured for several months does not have to play two 90 minutes of games immediately. I think this is normal, especially the first game is against Luxembourg. I think other players can handle it."