Italy Vs. Germany Prediction: San Siro Ready To Witness Die Mannschaft Labrak Gli Azzurri

JAKARTA - Italy and Germany will face each other at the San Siro on Thursday 20 March in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. Both teams of European giants are fighting for tickets to the semifinals. Die Mannschaft came as an unbeaten team in the group stage, while Gli Azzurri finished as runner-up behind France.

Italy has experienced ups and downs in recent years. After winning Euro 2020, they failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. However, in the Nations League this time, Luciano Spalletti's team showed promising performance. They had beaten France 3-1 in Paris before losing their second meeting in Milan.

With four wins from five games before losing to Les Bleus, Spalletti has implemented a tactical change that has had a positive impact. Now, they face a tough test against Germany, which they last faced in a goal-packed game in 2022, where Italy lost 2-5.

On the other hand, Germany performed outstanding in the group stage. They ended the group's journey with a landslide 7-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina and drew 1-1 against Hungary. Julian Nagelsmann's team have been unbeaten in six games since being knocked out of Euro 2024 by Spain.

Die Mannschaft scored an average of three goals per game in the Nations League this season. With the squad getting more solid, they are eyeing the Nations League trophy they have never won, as a first step towards the 2026 World Cup.

After the match at the San Siro, the two teams will meet again in the second leg which will be held at Dortmund on Sunday, March 23. The winner of this duel will face Denmark or Portugal in the semifinals.

Italy is experiencing some problems in the line-up. Federico Dimarco is sidelined due to injury, while Andrea Cambiaso is doubtful. Destiny Udogie and Matteo Rugeri are the main options to replace Dimarco on the left.

In addition, Torino's Cesare Casadei has the opportunity to make his senior team debut after performing well in the midfield of the grenade. Meanwhile, Manuel Locatelli of Juventus was not included in the squad.

In terms of tactics, Spalletti will most likely use the 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 scheme. Matteo Retegui and Moise Kean are in the best form in Serie A, but Spalletti may prefer to play just one striker, with Nicolo Barella or Davide Frattesi playing attacking midfielder.

Germany has more obstacles in their squad. Several key players such as Kai Havertz, Benjamin Henrichs, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Florian Wirtz had to be sidelined due to injury.

Instead, Leon Goretzka was again summoned after being absent since November 2023. Karim Adeyemi also got the opportunity after appearing impressively with Borussia Dortmund, while Nadiem Amiri from Mainz 05 returned to the national team after four years of absence.

Yann Bisseck, Inter Milan defender, received the first call to Germany's senior team and has the opportunity to appear in a stadium that is familiar to him. Meanwhile, captain Joshua Kimmich will list the 98th caps for the national team.

Under the bar, Manchester City's Stefan Ortega got the first call, competing with Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel for the main goalkeeper position.

This match will be a duel between two different styles of play. Italy under Spalletti focused more on the balance between defending and attacking, while Germany was more aggressive with the game attacking them.

Germany has an advantage in goal productivity with an average of three goals per game in the Nations League this season. However, the absence of some key players could be a problem for them.

Italy on the other hand, played more solidly on the defense, but they are still looking for the best formula up front. With Retegui and Kean's good performance in Serie A, they could pose a real threat to Germany's backline.

With the second leg to be played in Germany, Italy will try to win or at least draw at home. However, with the quality of both teams, this match can be tight and full of drama.

Italy (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Bastoni; Cambiaso, Frattesi, Rovella, Tonali, Udogie; Barella; Retegui

Germany (4-2-3-1): Nubel; Kimmich, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Mittelstadt; Andrich, Gross; Sane, Musiala, Adeyemi; Kleindienst

Score prediction: Italy 1-1 Germany