Italy vs. Germany preview: Team news and predicted lineups
| Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images |
Germany play their first game of 2025 when they travel to Milan's San Siro for the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final against Italy on Thursday.
The four-time World Cup winners will look back on their last meeting with the Italians in June 2022 with fondness, as they won 5-2 in the league phase of the UEFA Nations League.
Julian Nagelsmann's side are unbeaten in six matches since losing to Spain in extra time in the quarter-finals of last year's European Championship, and finished top of Group 3 with a goal difference of 18-4.
Italy, meanwhile, finished second in Group 2, level on points with group winners France, to whom they lost 3-1 in their final group stage match - their only defeat of the campaign so far.
The home side will be without Federico Dimarco due to a hamstring injury. Mateo Retegui will also miss out due to a thigh strain.
Germany will be without the services of Florian Wirtz. It was already clear that the Bayer Leverkusen star would miss the first leg through suspension, but an ankle injury will also keep him out of the second leg as well.
Meanwhile, Marc-André ter Stegen remains sidelined, and reports claim that Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann will start in goal ahead of Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel.
Kai Havertz (hamstring), Benjamin Henrichs (Achilles), Felix Nmecha (knee) and Aleksandar Pavlovic (illness) are out for the visitors too.
