Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl receives his initial call-up to the German national team.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich’s young talent Lennart Karl received his first call-up to the Germany national team on Thursday ahead of the World Cup, following his impressive performances in the Champions League.
Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger has also been reinstated to the squad.
This announcement came a day after the 18-year-old Karl assisted one goal and netted another for Bayern in their match against Atalanta, bringing his tally to four goals and two assists in his initial seven Champions League appearances.
He became the youngest player to score for Bayern in the competition during his first start in October.
Additionally, Karl’s Bayern colleague Jonas Urbig is in contention for a possible international debut, having stepped in as goalkeeper while Manuel Neuer deals with calf injuries. Urbig returned from a concussion to participate in the second leg of Bayern’s 10-2 aggregate victory over Atalanta on Wednesday, helping to prevent an injury crisis.
Rüdiger makes his return to Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the first time since September, having missed a significant portion of the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury, which also kept him out of Germany’s last four World Cup qualifying matches.
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Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav is back in the squad after scoring in each of his last five Bundesliga matches. With 16 goals, Undav ranks as the second highest scorer in the German league, trailing Bayern’s Harry Kane.
Germany is set to play friendly matches against Switzerland away on March 27 and Ghana in Stuttgart three days later.
The four-time men’s champion Germany is placed in a World Cup group alongside Curacao, Ivory Coast, and Ecuador.