Kai Havertz To Miss Germany's World Cup Qualifiers Against Slovakia And Northern Ireland Due To Injury

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Germany's national team will be without Kai Havertz for their World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland due to a knee injury. This was confirmed by Rudi Voller, the DFB national team director. The Arsenal player has been sidelined since injuring his knee during a 1-0 win over Manchester United at the start of the Premier League season.

Havertz also missed Arsenal's 5-0 victory against Leeds United, where teammates Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka sustained injuries. The 26-year-old forward last played for Germany in a Nations League match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in November. Earlier this year, he was out from February to mid-May with a hamstring injury.

Germany will begin their World Cup qualifying campaign on September 4 in Bratislava against Slovakia. They will then host Northern Ireland at RheinEnergieStadion three days later. Julian Nagelsmann's squad is looking to recover from back-to-back losses to Portugal and France during the Nations League finals in June.

Rudi Voller mentioned that Havertz's recovery timeline remains uncertain. "He certainly won't make it, he has a knee injury," Voller told German media. "We don't know exactly how it will go in the coming weeks, whether surgery is upcoming or it will be treated conservatively."

The absence of Havertz is a setback for Germany as they aim to secure their place in the World Cup. His experience and skill would have been valuable assets for the team during these crucial matches. The team will also face Luxembourg in Group A as part of their qualifying journey.