DUESSELDORF, Germany -- A World Cup without Germany used to be unthinkable. Now the four-time champions need to turn things around to ensure a spot at next year's tournament.

A shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia in World Cup qualifying means Julian Nagelsmann's team may need a perfect record in the rest of its qualifiers, starting with wins over Luxembourg on Friday and Northern Ireland on Monday.

"Everyone expects of us that we'll beat every opponent 5-0, 6-0 but that's no longer possible," midfielder Nadiem Amiri said in comments reported by German agency dpa. "The times have simply changed. Everyone's good, everyone can hold their own. For us it's just important to win. We need win after win."

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