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Germany defender Antonio Rudiger is set to miss the EURO 2024 semi-final if his side overcome Spain in the quarter-finals on Friday, July 5. He picked up a yellow card in the 13th minute of the fixture against La Roja, thus accumulating enough cautions to warrant a one-game suspension.
Rudiger enjoyed an impressive 2023-24 campaign with Real Madrid, making 48 appearances across all competitions. He played a crucial role in their La Liga, UEFA Champions League, and Supercopa de Espana victories.
His stellar performances at club level earned him a call-up to Julian Nagelsmann's squad for EURO 2024. Aside from Joshua Kimmich and Manuel Neuer, he is the only player to have played every single minute for Germany at the tournament so far.
Rudiger helped his side keep two clean sheets in four games before the quarterfinals. However, after picking up his second yellow card, he will be forced to watch on from the sidelines in the semi-final, should his side get there.
His previous yellow card was in the 27th minute of Die Mannschaft's comfortable 2-0 win over Hungary in the group stage. The card was shown to him for supposed dissent right after his side opened the scoring (23').
Germany's options to replace Antonio Rudiger for potential Euro 2024 semi-final
Despite the absence of Rudiger, Nagelsmann will have a plethora of options at his disposal at the centre-back position if Germany do reach the semi-finals.
Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck had a spectacular 2023-24 season with his club, helping them reach the Champions League final. He played the full 90 minutes in Germany's 2-0 victory over Denmark in the Round of 16, even assisting Jamal Musiala for their second goal of the night. He will likely be the topmost candidate to replace Rudiger.
Other options for Nagelsmann include Waldemar Anton and Robin Koch. Anton is coming off a solid season with VFB Stuttgart, helping them finish second in the Bundesliga and qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League. Koch also had a solid campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt but is yet to feature at EURO 2024.
