Italy vs. Germany: UEFA Nations League Match Predictions

European powerhouses Italy and Germany will meet at San Siro on Thursday for the opening leg of their quarterfinal encounter, hoping to advance to the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.

This is their first meeting since a thrilling seven-goal match in 2022, when the Germans won League A Group 3 with an undefeated record, and the Italians finished second in Group 2 behind France.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

A revamped Italy side struggled to defend their 2024 European Championship title, although they started well in their most recent Nations League group until falling to France 3-1 at home after shockingly beating them 3-1 in Paris.

Italy finished in second place, but they advanced to the quarterfinals of UEFA's newest international competition—its debut year.

There is still hope for Luciano Spalletti's side to win the Nations League for the first time. They went four games undefeated before losing to Les Bleus in Milan. The team has certainly profited from a change in tactics and selection strategy.

Italy is still focused on making it to the 2026 global championships despite winning Euro 2020 and failing to qualify for either of the subsequent two World Cups. However, they must face an old enemy first, and there is a lot at risk.

With a two-legged lead and the opportunity to host the finals this summer, Spalletti's side is determined to turn the tables on their most recent encounter.

A sour aftertaste persists almost three years after La Nazionale's 1-1 home tie in the 2021-22 Nations League; the next day, they were thrashed 5-2 in Germany.

Germany finished first in their group after a savage 7-0 thrashing of Bosnia-Herzegovina; in their last match, they played to a low-key 1-1 draw with Hungary.

Julian Nagelsmann's squad were undefeated in their last six games after suffering a home European Championship final loss to eventual champions Spain. They concluded with four victories and two draws, edging off their closest rivals, the Netherlands.

As Nagelsmann enters his 20th match as national team coach, Germany is riding high on a three-goal-per-game performance in the Nations League.

The Germans are eager to reclaim a rare trophy before launching an attack on next year's World Cup since this is their first appearance in the elimination round after failing to reach the finals on each of their previous three tries.

The teams will play a return match in Dortmund on Sunday night after testing the waters in Lombardy. The victor will advance to face either Portugal or Denmark in the semi-finals.

Deutschland has been one of the most remarkable teams on the continent this season, and they want to keep it up despite a slew of injuries and the retirement of key players after the Euros.

Italy x Germany Team News

After Italy's poor performance at Euro 2024, Luciano Spalletti shifted to a three-man defense and started relying on his wing-backs; hence, the former Napoli manager would be disappointed to see Federico Dimarco, an Inter Milan wide player, out with an injury.

Even though he was called up, Andrea Cambiaso is doubtful due to his fitness issues this season. Cambiaso can play on either wing.  Matteo Ruggeri and Destiny Udogie, both specialized left-backs, should compete to succeed Dimarco.

Torino midfielder Cesare Casadei, who has been a mainstay for the Granata since leaving Chelsea, might join Ruggeri in earning his first senior cap. Juventus' Manuel Locatelli is not included.

Matteo Retegui and Moise Kean are having their finest Serie A seasons to date, while Giacomo Raspadori has just found favor at title challenger Napoli. Spalletti may be hesitant to deploy two forwards against such good competition.

On the other hand, the club's home-field duo of Nicolo Barella and Davide Frattesi might start up front in midfield.

Julian Nagelsmann's injury list continues to grow, with players like Kai Havertz, Benjamin Henrichs, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and Florian Wirtz (who plays for Bayer Leverkusen) all out.

As a result, Leon Goretzka has made his long-awaited return to the German national team, Karim Adeyemi has also received a promotion in recognition of his recent form, and Nadiem Amiri, a sensational player for Mainz in the Bundesliga, returns to the squad after a four-year absence.

Inter defender Yann Bisseck, who will be on familiar turf at San Siro, has been handed his first senior call-up; at the other end of the spectrum, captain Joshua Kimmich is set to win his 98th cap.

Bisseck is one of only two uncapped players, along with Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. The latter will battle with Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel to start between the posts.

Our Predictions

Italy to win @ 2.70 on Sky247.ng

Since they now have many goal threats to choose from, Italy has a great chance to earn a valuable first-leg lead against a somewhat depleted German outfit.

The tie will still be very much alive heading into Sunday's second leg, even though the Azzurri are inherently more formidable when playing at home.

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