Jamal Musiala is one of the best talents Germany has ever produced, according to team-mate Leon Goretzka.

Musiala has burst onto the scene for his club side Bayern Munich as well as his national team, leading the former with 11 goals in this season's Bundesliga and impressing at the World Cup in Qatar despite Germany's shock early exit.

Goretzka plays alongside Musiala for both club and country, and he ranks the 20-year-old as one of the finest players his national side have ever produced.

"Jamal might be one of the biggest talents Germany has ever had because he's already able to constantly deliver good performances," Goretzka told UEFA.com.

"He doesn't have many ups and downs. The fact that he's already in our starting XI every week shows that. He helps us achieve our goals.

"He's extremely good on the ball, in narrow spaces, and he creates a lot of danger. He has outstanding qualities. If he keeps working like that and stays fit, the sky is the limit for him."

Goretzka, 28, feels it is up to him and his fellow senior players to help young prospects reach their potential, saying: "It's my task to help younger players and to serve as an example. Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were the players who helped me when I came to Bayern.

"So I see it as my task. I won't tell [Musiala] how to dribble or what to do every day, because he knows best what to do, but I want to help him on the pitch, give him that strength or be there for him when he has a question, and help him in situations he doesn't know about yet, like all the media things that can be expected of him in the future. All of us in the team want to help him."

Bayern face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, and having been a key member of the team that won Europe's top club prize in the 2019-2020 season, Goretzka is hoping his side can lift the famous trophy again this campaign.

The German champions came through a tough group that included Inter and Barcelona, winning all six of their games to cruise through to the round of 16 where they then comfortably saw off Paris Saint-Germain, who they beat in the 2019-2020 final, 3-0 on aggregate.

"It's [Champions League] certainly the Everest of club football," Goretzka said. "If you look at the results so far, we have been very dominant this season.

"I think a lot of people in Germany gasped when they first saw our group. It was called the group of death with Inter, Barcelona and Bayern. It was clear one of those three big clubs would have to exit the competition at the group stage but we were sure it wasn't going to be us. In the end, we came through the group stage very confidently."

Bayern will be without striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting for the first leg against City, with the striker not travelling to Manchester because of a knee problem that ruled him out of the 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Freiburg on Saturday.

Bayern Munich will always be favourites to beat Borussia Dortmund, with Leon Goretzka suggesting no team can face Die Roten at Allianz Arena and have the upper hand.

The two teams meet in their first game back from the international break in what could be the most decisive encounter of the Bundesliga title race this season.

Dortmund hold a one-point lead over their rivals, who dismissed coach Julian Nagelsmann and replaced him with former Black and Yellow boss Thomas Tuchel last week.

Speaking ahead of the crunch clash though, Goretzka insisted the visitors' advantage in the league table means nothing when they go to Allianz Arena, given the hosts' pedigree.

"We are ready," he told SportBILD. "We want the 11th championship in a row. To quote Kylian Mbappe, we are always favourites.

"When we play at home, there isn't a team we don't go into the game against as favourites. I think [the pressure] is great.

"I really enjoy these games. As a player, you don't want to be part of the team that can break this series [and miss out on another title win]."

Nagelsmann's departure, despite guiding Bayern to the title last term and the Champions League quarter-finals this year, is a gamble for the Bavarian giants.

But in Tuchel, they have a former Champions League-winning coach from his time at Chelsea, and Goretzka hopes he can help retain their Bundesliga crown.

"We all know and appreciate his successes," he added. "[We] have great respect for his achievements and experience."

Hansi Flick rued a timid Germany performance as Belgium "took full advantage" to seize an unassailable early lead in Tuesday's 3-2 friendly triumph in Cologne.

Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku fired Domenico Tedesco's new-look Belgium into a 2-0 lead inside nine minutes at RheinEnergieStadion.

A Niclas Fullkrug penalty, his sixth goal in as many international appearances, brought Flick's side back into it before Kevin De Bruyne – who created Belgium's first two goals – put the game out of reach.

Serge Gnabry managed a late consolation but Flick acknowledged there was no way back after Tedesco's visitors punished a woeful start to earn Belgium's first win against Germany since 1954.

"We were too cautious, too passive and weren't able to put our opponents under pressure, and Belgium took full advantage," Flick said on RTL.

"Our passion brought us back into contention, but it wasn't quite enough to get a result."

While a late fightback offered Flick reason for hope, Germany must improve and make use of their international friendlies, given they have automatically qualified for Euro 2024 as a host nation.

Their cause was not helped by Leon Goretzka limping off with an ankle injury in the first half, raising fears the midfielder will not feature in Bayern Munich's crucial Bundesliga meeting with Borussia Dortmund.

Just a point separates Bundesliga leaders Dortmund and Bayern ahead of Saturday's Klassiker at Allianz Arena, with Thomas Tuchel set to take charge of the reigning champions for the first time.

The former Chelsea coach's appointment came after the dismissal of Julian Nagelsmann last week, but Tuchel may be boosted by the injury update Goretzka provided after the match.

Bayern star Goretzka, who appeared in an upbeat mood, told reporters: "I've twisted my ankle. It shouldn't last until Saturday."

Leon Goretzka limped off injured for Germany in Tuesday's clash with Belgium, making him a doubt for Bayern Munich's crunch Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern trail Dortmund by just one point at the Bundesliga summit but may have to do without Goretzka for Saturday's crucial Klassiker after the midfielder suffered an apparent ankle injury.

The Germany international initially went down and required treatment in the 29th minute before failing to continue as Hansi Flick sent on Felix Nmecha three minutes later at RheinEnergieStadion.

That was in a double substitution, the second part of which was not enforced as Emre Can replaced Florian Wirtz with Germany trailing 2-0 after early goals from Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku in Cologne.

A potentially title-deciding meeting with Dortmund will also mark Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge of Bayern, who brought in the former Chelsea coach after dismissing Julian Nagelsmann last week.

The Bundesliga champions will hope Goretzka soon returns to fitness, with the two-legged Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City also on the horizon.

Julian Nagelsmann and Leon Goretzka urged Bayern Munich to become more ruthless after escaping with a 2-1 victory in Saturday's match at lowly Stuttgart.

Bayern held a convincing two-goal lead at Mercedes-Benz Arena with a little over an hour played after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting added to Matthijs de Ligt's first-half opener.

The visitors took their foot off the gas at that point, and it almost backfired as Juan Jose Perea pulled one back late on and Tanguy Coulibaly headed inches wide in added time.

Despite finishing with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.30 compared to 0.67 for Stuttgart, Nagelsmann conceded Bayern almost blew it.

"After going 2-0 up, we had several counter-attacks we didn't finish well," he told Sky Sport. "We had the game under control, but if you concede late on, things gets tight again.

"We have to finish our chances better and go for the third goal, then we'd kill it off."

Goretzka, who accumulated a game-high xG of 0.54 without scoring, agreed with his manager's assessment.

"We made a few mistakes after going 2-0 up," he said. "The opponent didn't believe they could get something out of the game after going 2-0 down.

"We have to act accordingly, but we didn't manage to do that in the last 15 minutes."

Thomas Muller, whose assist for Choupo-Moting's strike was his 300th direct goal involvement in the Bundesliga, looked to take positives from his side's sluggish finish.

"We're happy. We won and we're top of the table again," Muller said. "When FC Bayern is up there, I always have a good feeling.

"The fact that the game got tight at the end is maybe a good test for the Champions League game against PSG."

Bayern lead that last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 heading into Wednesday's second leg at the Allianz Arena thanks to Kingsley Coman's goal in the reverse fixture.

Asked if he intends to stick with the same line-up that started against Stuttgart, Nagelsmann gave little away.

"I have to analyse and see how PSG are doing, then I'll decide," he said.

Bayern have now won four of their past five league matches and are above Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table by virtue of a superior goal difference.

The 10-in-a-row champions have won 13 away game on the spin against Stuttgart, who are one of four sides on 19 points at the bottom of the division.

"It was an important win for us," said Choupo-Moting, who signed a new contract on Friday. "Of course we didn't play our best game, and we can improve a few things.

"The opponent didn't give up and made it difficult. After their goal, you could feel the atmosphere in the stadium and that they were hoping for a point."

Julian Nagelsmann believes Bayern Munich must improve their attitude if they are to get back to winning ways in the Bundesliga.

Joshua Kimmich's 90th-minute equaliser was enough to earn a late point at home to Koln on Tuesday, but the result was Bayern's second consecutive 1-1 draw after they failed to beat RB Leipzig the previous week.

Their shaky form since returning from the extended Bundesliga mid-season break has given hope to title challengers such as Union Berlin and Leipzig, the former of whom sit second and just three points behind Nagelsmann's men at the summit.

With Bayern aiming to win their 11th straight title, Nagelsmann pointed to his team's need for an improved mindset heading into the rest of the season.

When asked whether he had any questions over Bayern's mentality, Nagelsmann told reporters: "I often talk to our team psychologist about it. That's always a big word.

"The atmosphere is like it always is at Bayern when you don't win. Not restless, but not super happy either.

"Each of our players is a great talent and a great footballer. They also have a lot of desire and a great will. You just have to get back to those things.

"Then we have more quality than other teams in the Bundesliga and in Europe.

"But for me it's not about mentality, it's about attitude, and better attitude."

Nagelsmann revealed Serge Gnabry will not start against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday after the winger was hooked at half-time of the draw with Koln.

The former Arsenal man already caused a stir when he used a day off to attend Paris Fashion Week prior to Tuesday's poor performance, with his replacement Kingsley Coman recording four key passes after his introduction, tied for the game high.

Nagelsmann says it will be the France international who gets to start against Frankfurt, saying: "Gnabry had the chance to show himself against Koln. I don't want to hold tabloid issues so high. He didn't take his chance in Cologne.

"We had a good conversation and I explained to him that his substitution was only for sporting reasons.

"We had a good man on the bench in Kingsley Coman against Koln, who will start tomorrow."

Leon Goretzka was also taken off at half-time against Koln, though his removal was because of injury concerns, and Nagelsmann confirmed the midfielder will play no part on Saturday after having to leave training early on Thursday.

"Leon will be out," Nagelsmann stated. "He has nerve problems on the inside of his thighs. He can probably play again on Wednesday [against Mainz in the DFB-Pokal].

"Unfortunately, Leon keeps having aches and pains, and that won't change anymore. He invests a lot. I support him and we communicate frequently."

Leon Goretzka says Robert Lewandowski "was spoiled" at Bayern Munich as he taunted his former team-mate over Barcelona's Champions League struggles.

Barca face being eliminated from the competition in the group stage in successive campaigns for only the second time heading into Wednesday's tie with Bayern at Camp Nou.

The Catalan giants will be unable to advance to the last 16 should they lose or if Inter beat Viktoria Plzen, while they will also be eliminated should both games be drawn.

While Barca have struggled in Europe of late, Bayern have reached at least the quarter-finals in all but one of the past 11 seasons, which Goretzka says can be taken for granted.

"Lewy was very spoiled at Bayern, always being at least in the round of 16 and progressing," Goretzka told reporters. "But now we can no longer take that into account."

Bayern beat Barca 2-0 in last month's reverse fixture, in which Lewandowski missed two presentable opportunities, and are already assured of a place in the knockout stages.

The German side have defeated Barcelona in nine of their 12 Champions League encounters, including the past five in a row.

Only Bayern themselves against Real Madrid (10) have lost more games against a single side in the competition's history, and Goretzka is targeting another victory next week.

"If we play against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, it can be a preparatory game or a Champions League final, it doesn't matter," the Germany international added. 

"It's going to be a super cool game that we're looking forward to. And we will also do everything to win it."

Lewandowski has scored five Champions League goals for Barca, each of those coming at Camp Nou – the most ever by a Barca player after their first two matches.

The prolific striker lifted the famous trophy with Bayern in 2020, but he will have to settle for Europa League football – at best – if results go against his side.

"It's their last chance," Bayern striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting said. "I'm definitely looking forward to the game and to seeing Lewy. 

"He's a world-class player and a great guy. Playing against Barcelona is always something special."

Oliver Kahn says Bayern Munich "absolutely have to stop" allowing opposing teams back into games after they nearly squandered another lead in the 4-2 Champions League win at Viktoria Plzen.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Thomas Muller, as well as a Leon Goretzka double had Bayern four goals up and cruising at half-time against the Czech champions.

But two second-half strikes from Plzen led to worries Bayern would let another advantage slip, after conceding a 95th-minute Anthony Modeste equaliser in the 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Borussia Dortmund at the weekend having led 2-0.

Julian Nagelsmann's side held on this time for three points to secure their place in the knockout stages, but Bayern CEO Kahn remains worried over their ability to see out games.

"Four games, four wins and into the round of 16," Kahn posted on Twitter. "A compliment to the team, in this group that was not a matter of course.

"After a furious first half, we let the opponent come back into the game.

"We absolutely have to stop this!"

Julian Nagelsmann wants his Bayern Munich players to ensure they top Group C after a 4-2 win over Viktoria Plzen sealed their Champions League progress.

Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller and Leon Goretzka had Bayern 4-0 up by the 35th minute on Wednesday. It is the second-quickest time in Champions League history a side has taken to register four goals away from home, beaten only by their own 7-1 victory over Roma in 2014.

Though Adam Vlkanova and Jan Kliment reduced the arrears in the second half, Bayern held on to record their 11th straight group stage victory, a new competition record.

The win means Bayern are now on 12 points, five above Inter in second and out of reach of third-placed Barcelona, as they qualified for the knockout stages for the 15th consecutive season.

Now, the target is securing top spot, with Nagelsmann telling DAZN: "It's always nice to win away from home.

"We've got 12 points from four games in the toughest group and we're into the round of 16. Now we want to top the group.

"This win gives us the necessary calm ahead of Freiburg [in the Bundesliga] on Sunday. That was our goal and we achieved it."

Muller's cool 14th-minute finish for Bayern's second means he has now scored more than twice as many goals as any other German player in Champions League history, with Mario Gomez scoring the second most with 26.

However, he made way soon after his strike and headed straight down the tunnel, though Nagelsmann explained there was nothing to worry about, adding: "Things tightened up a little in his back, a nerve.

"It's nothing major or serious, but we didn't want to take risks for the weekend."

Bayern Munich beat Viktoria Plzen 4-2 to make it a record 11 straight Champions League group stage victories and seal their place in the last 16.

Julian Nagelsmann's side – who are struggling to hit their best form domestically – went into half-time four up after goals from Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller and a Leon Goretzka double had Wednesday's contest at Doosan Arena settled by the break.

Adam Vlkanova and Jan Kliment reduced the deficit in the second half, but Bayern were never in any real danger of succumbing to a comeback.

Bayern moved onto 12 points in Group C, out of reach of third-placed Barcelona, ensuring progression to the knockout stage.

The Bundesliga champions were ahead within 10 minutes, Mane playing a clever one-two with Goretzka before coolly poking past Jindrich Stanek.

They doubled their lead four minutes later through Muller, who slotted home after connecting with Kingsley Coman's low cross.

With Plzen's defending leaving much to be desired, Bayern made sure to capitalise – Goretzka curling in to add a goal to his earlier assist in the 25th minute.

An injury to Muller threatened to sour a rampant first half, though Goretzka soon had his second when he dinked over Stanek from Leroy Sane's neat pass.

Erik Jirka nearly got a goal back for Plzen after the restart, but he could only hit the side netting with a powerful drive, before Sven Ulreich parried a Ludek Pernica header onto the bar.

Ulreich was beaten in the 62nd minute – Vlkanova finding the bottom-left corner with a wonderful strike from outside of the area.

Kilment's excellent finish gave the hosts a slither of hope, but Bayern saw out the remaining minutes with ease.

Julian Nagelsmann feels Bayern Munich's resounding 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen was "another step in the right direction" for his side ahead of facing Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern followed up Friday's 4-0 Bundesliga thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen with an even more emphatic victory in Tuesday's Champions League tie with Czech champions Plzen.

It marks the first time the Bavarians have won back-to-back matches in all competitions since August, having gone four league games without a win prior to the international break.

Nagelsmann is pleased with what he saw from his side against Plzen, with Bayern returning to form at just the right time ahead of Saturday's Klassiker showdown with fierce rivals Dortmund.

"The boys did well today," Nagelsmann told DAZN. "That's how you have to approach a game. We decided it quickly then controlled it. 

"With a view to Saturday, that was important, serious and well deserved. It was another game that shows we are taking steps in the right direction."

The hosts were three goals up inside 21 minutes, with Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane netting after Leroy Sane had opened the scoring at the Allianz Arena.

Sane doubled his tally early in the second half before substitute Eric Choupo-Moting rounded off the scoring for the leaders in a one-sided Group C contest.

It is the 26th time Bayern have scored five or more goals in a Champions League match, which is five more than next-best Barcelona.

Mane wasted some promising chances to add to the scoring, netting from just one of his six attempts, but the forward was happy with his side's performance.

"The team played a great game, with a lot of chances created," he said. "We deserved to win. 

"The past few weeks have been tough. It was important we reacted. We reacted well after the international break. Hopefully we can continue like this until the end of the season.

"We have nine points from three Champions League games and a good goal difference. We are in a good place. 

"We were disciplined today. We were well prepared for the opponent and that's where most of the goals came from."

Bayern have now gone 31 games without defeat in the group stage of the Champions League, overtaking the record of 30 set by Real Madrid in 2017.

"We rightly received criticism during the international break," said Leon Goretzka, who set up two of the goals against Plzen.

"We used the time well and focused on our game again. Our aim is to perform on a regular basis. We're still extremely upset about the games before that."

Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka are back in training with Bayern Munich after the pair were forced to withdraw from Germany duty with COVID-19.

The duo were named in Hansi Flick's squad for the final two Nations League group games against Hungary and England, but were ruled out after testing positive for coronavirus.

However, Bayern goalkeeper Neuer and midfielder Goretzka were back on the training field on Tuesday. 

Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, Marcel Sabitzer and Josip Stanisic have all also returned to the fold for Julian Nagelsmann's side.

In Neuer and Goretzka's absence, Germany slipped to their first defeat since Flick took charge with a 1-0 loss to Hungary, before playing out a 3-3 draw with England at Wembley on Monday.

Champions Bayern will go in pursuit of a first Bundesliga win in five games when they resume domestic action against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Germany boss Hansi Flick has told his players to be cautious about socialising ahead of the World Cup to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and missing games.

Midfielder Leon Goretzka and captain Manuel Neuer have been ruled out of the Nations League games against Hungary and England after testing positive.

Those results followed their visit, as members of the Bayern Munich squad, to Oktoberfest celebrations last weekend.

It is unclear whether that was where the players caught the coronavirus, but social occasions give Flick cause for concern, albeit he is adamant that "life should also go on".

The Qatar 2022 World Cup is coming up in November and December, and Flick wants everyone available.

"This can also affect us in Qatar," said Flick. "We have to react to it and deal with the situation as best we can.

"It's not quite as easy as [saying] you should behave. We in the coaching team are also on the road a lot. Such cases are always annoying, but it's also become a normal situation.

"With a normal flu you also miss out. Covid is of course a bit more aggressive. Of course you have to reduce your contacts a little before the World Cup and consider, should I go there or not.

"You're on the road a lot. Life should also go on. We have to see that we keep it under control. But a certain normality with common sense, I think, is the right way."

Germany play Hungary on Friday and England on Monday, and Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen will get a chance to impress in the Hungary game in the absence of Neuer.

"I don't need to keep a secret about the goalkeeper position, Marc will be in goal," Flick said in Thursday's press conference.

Both Manuel Neuer and Leon Goretzka have been withdrawn from the Germany squad ahead of their two upcoming Nations League fixtures.

The Bayern Munich duo tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and have since been in isolation and left the team hotel.

The German Football Association (DFB) stated: "Due to a positive coronavirus test within one of the players' private circles, the medical team conducted a rapid antigen test on the whole nation team.

"All members of the coaching staff and the team are required to test negative before travelling. Confirmed contact of both players will be tested daily."

Germany play Hungary on Friday and England on Monday, and coach Hansi Flick will no doubt feel the strain of missing such vital players from his squad.

Goalkeeper and captain Neuer has been replaced by Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann, with Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Eintracht Frankfurt's Kevin Trapp counted among Flick's other options in goal.

The DFB was yet to confirm the identity of any additions in Goretzka's place, although Flick still has the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan and Thomas Muller at his disposal.

Leon Goretzka says he is "annoyed" by reports about unrest within the Bayern Munich squad which he claims are not true.

Bayern and head coach Julian Nagelsmann have come under pressure following three straight Bundesliga draws, but they maintained their winning start in the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.

There have been reports of friction within the Bayern squad towards Nagelsmann, with issues including rotation and game time.

Goretzka came off the bench at half-time and played a key role in Bayern's win over Barcelona, with both goals coming in the second half. The appearance was only the 27-year-old midfielder's fifth of the season in all competitions after missing six weeks late in pre-season following knee surgery.

Bild claimed this week that the Germany international, along with new Dutch addition Ryan Gravenberch, were unhappy with their playing time this season, with the former specifically irritated when he learned he was not starting against the Blaugrana.

The report claimed that Goretzka felt his training performances warranted a starting position but Nagelsmann preferred Marcel Sabitzer in midfield to offer defensive stability to allow Joshua Kimmich to be more offensive minded.

"I promised myself that I'd not say anything about it because my words might be interpreted in a different way," Goretzka told reporters after Tuesday's win. "I have no problem with the coach not starting me today.

"I was out for six weeks and it was clear that I wouldn't play from the start. Sabi did a great job.

"These alleged problems in the dressing room are conveyed in a way that really annoys me. We get along really well in the team."

Leroy Sane, who netted Bayern's second goal in the 54th minute, threw a bottle in frustration after being substituted off in the 80th minute.

Sane embraced Nagelsmann along with teammates on the bench before throwing the bottle and going down the tunnel.

"I wasn't angry about my substitution," Sane explained.

"The bottle had to suffer a bit because I didn't play a good game. The goal was nice, but I wasn't entirely happy with my performance today."