Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann will make changes to his starting team for the last World Cup group stage match against Ecuador on Thursday, but striker Deniz Undav will remain on the bench.
Undav has scored three goals so far, including the two in the 2-1 win against Ivory Coast - which secured Germany a spot in the knock-out stage as Group E winners.
That led to a discussion on whether Undav should be granted a spot in the starting team.
"I understand the argument that Deniz has earned his place in the starting line-up. Nevertheless, we also have a plan behind our decisions," Nagelsmann said in a news conference on Wednesday.
"That's why we'll make the substitutions tomorrow that we have to make, because Nene (Nathaniel Brown) is injured and Schlotti (Nico Schlotterbeck) has unfortunately suffered a serious injury.
"Otherwise, we'll go into the game the same way we have in the last few matches," he stressed.
Due to the injury woes, Antonio Rüdiger and David Raum will return to the starting line-up.
There was also speculation whether Oliver Baumann would make his World Cup debut, but Nagelsmann has decided to keep Manuel Neuer between the posts.
"It's a similar basis for making a decision as with the field players. It's all about rhythm there too," Nagelsmann said.
"Manu has played two games now, and neither of them was really a goalkeeper's game. There weren't any situations where the goalkeeper could really make saves and get into a rhythm."
Baumann played the matches in the qualifiers but was demoted to back-up after Neuer made his return to international football after two years away.
Nagelsmann said he could "understand, from a human perspective," the arguments that Baumann deserved to play in the World Cup. "But you have to look at the big picture. It's not always easy to make these decisions, but they have to be made."
