---
title: "Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw awaits Germany decision as Klopp weighs changes after breakthrough start"
canonical: "https://readnewcastle.com/2026/10/04/malick-thiaw-germany-greece-klopp-selection/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "James Chettle"
section: "Newcastle United News"
published: "2026-10-04T10:22:35Z"
modified: "2026-10-04T10:22:35Z"
---

# Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw awaits Germany decision as Klopp weighs changes after breakthrough start

Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw faces a wait to discover whether he will retain his Germany starting place against Greece tonight after Jürgen Klopp kept his selection plans open.

Thiaw completed Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Serbia, making his first competitive senior start for Germany and helping Klopp secure his first win in charge.

The Newcastle centre-back now has another opportunity to establish himself, with Germany visiting Thessaloniki’s Toumba Stadium for a 7:45pm BST kick-off.

The [DFB’s official squad list for the Greece match](https://www.dfb.de/news/ticker-zum-nations-league-auftakt-2026) includes Thiaw and Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade, who is spending the season on loan at Juventus.

> Malick Thiaw arrives for international duty 🇩🇪\
> \
> 📸 Yuliia Perekopaiko/DFB [pic.twitter.com/ToHz31ETx4](https://t.co/ToHz31ETx4)
>
> — Newcastle United (@NUFC) [September 29, 2026](https://x.com/NUFC/status/2104929710509834301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## Klopp leaves Germany selection open

Speaking at his [pre-match press conference](https://www.dfb.de/news/klopp-wir-planen-ein-zweites-spiel-fuer-urbig-ein), Klopp declined to reveal how many changes he would make from the Serbia victory.

He explained that Germany would select a team capable of winning and praised the quality of training across the squad.

For Thiaw, the distinction matters. Thursday provided a breakthrough, but a second successive start would offer a clearer indication of his place in Klopp’s plans.

Germany also have a result to put right. Greece won their first meeting 1-0 in Augsburg last Sunday and lead the group heading into the return fixture.

As [Newcastle’s international update confirms](https://www.newcastleunited.com/en/news/international-call-ups-september-october-2026), Thiaw played the full match against Serbia while Woltemade completed 77 minutes.

The next question is whether Klopp rewards that clean sheet with defensive continuity or gives another centre-back an opportunity.

Follow the remaining fixtures and player involvement in our [Newcastle international tracker](https://readnewcastle.com/2026/09/25/newcastle-united-three-week-break-international-duty/).