Italy will face Germany inside Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna in their opening match of group stage play in the UEFA Nations League. The Azzurri will aim to dust themselves from the disappointment of losing the Finalissima when they take on Die Mannschaft on Saturday evening. It has been a tough run for Roberto Mancini's side in recent months and last week's capitulation against Lionel Messi's Argentina pretty much painted a bleak picture of what the future holds for the Italians.
Not too long ago, a marauding run saw them secure the Euro 2020 trophy in remarkable fashion. However, failing to qualify for another World Cup has taken the shine off their recent success in a major tournament. On Saturday, they will hope to do enough to restore the love that is gradually diminishing among their fans.
They will enter the game against Germany on the back of just one win across their last five outings. Two of the games have resulted in losses with the remaining two games also being draws. Widely considered as being in another transition, the meeting with the Germans might have come a tad too soon for the European champions who are seeking for a purple patch.
Needless to say, Hansi Flick's men will look to make life even more uncomfortable for the Italians as they prepare for Qatar 2022. Having experienced their own period of regression, the 2014 World Cup winners are back in their grove with and have looked like formidable opponents in recent times. After reaching the World Cup with nine victories out of ten in the qualifiers, they defeated Israel in a friendly match. However, they have not played against any team in the top ten of FIFA's standings until a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in March.
Going into the weekend's encounter, the Germans will be motivated by the fact that they remain unbeaten in their last four games against the Italians. The two countries have not met since a friendly match in November 2016, a scoreless draw.
Team news
Italy coach Roberto Mancini deployed an unfamiliar side against Argentina due to the absence of key players at Wembley, including Serie A topscorer Ciro Immobile, long-term injury victim Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi, Marco Verratti, and Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo. All the aforementioned stars are expected to miss this weekend's game.
Giorgio Chiellini, who announced his retirement from international football, will also be unavailable. Following Wednesday's game, Federico Bernardeschi, Emerson Palmieri, Lorenzo Insigne, Jorginho, and Verratti were all released from international duty.
For Germany, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Julian Draxler may not be involved. However, there is a boost in the side with the return of Leon Goretzka. The Bayern Munich midfielder will be available after recovering from an ankle injury.
Predicted starting XI
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Italy: Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Bastoni, Spinazzola; Cristante, Tonali, Locatelli; Politano, Scamacca, Raspadori
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Germany: Neuer; Hofmann, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Werner.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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