Italy will be looking for a positive start to their Uefa Nations League campaign when they take on rivals Germany in what is expected to be an entertaining clash in Bologna on Saturday evening.
Italy and Germany were drawn into League A Group 3 in what can be considered the group of death alongside the likes of England and Hungary, respectively.
Azzurri will come into this clash hoping to return to winning ways after they missed out on winning the Finalissima following their 3-0 defeat to Argentina in a packed Wembley Stadium on Wednesday evening through goals from Lautaro Martínez, Ángel Di María and Paulo Dybala.
Germany, meanwhile, will look to bounce back after playing out to a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands at the Amsterdam ArenA in an international friendly play on 29 March 2022 after Steven Bergwijn cancelled out Thomas Muller’s 45th-minute opener.
Germany has the slight upper hand over Italy in the last five meetings between the two teams, having claimed two consecutive wins to Italy’s one, while the other two remaining fixtures have ended in draws.
Roberto Mancini will be without the services of five key players through injury, including Ciro Immobile, Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi, Marco Verratti and Nicolo Zaniolo, while Germany will be without experienced campaigners Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Julian Draxler.
Players To Watch:
Giacomo Raspadori: The Sassuolo forward will be the go-to man for Italy after he bagged a brace in his last outing against Turkey, whilst also netting 10 goals in the Serie A this season.
Thomas Muller: The Bayern attacker is known for being one of the most prolific international scorers, having already scored 43 goals and assisted a further 40 goals for the German national team in 112 appearances across all competitions.
Form Guide:
Italy Form (all competitions):
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Germany Form (all competitions):
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