Italy vs Germany

One of the most exciting fixtures in the UEFA Nations League schedule pits Italy and Germany against each other in the first leg of their playoff tie at Stadio San Siro.

Italy slumped to a heartbreaking 3-1 home loss to France in their last Group A2 fixture and, as a result, had to settle for a runner-up finish behind Les Bleus. Otherwise, the Italians’ group-stage campaign was nearly perfect as they had gone unbeaten in their first five matches (W4, D1), including a 3-1 win in Paris. Seeking a third consecutive progression into the Nations League finals, Luciano Spalletti’s charges must defy an underwhelming run of six successive H2H meetings without a win (D3, L3) since Euro 2012. They can draw heart from the fact they avoided defeat in each home encounter in that sequence. However, a slow start looms for ‘Gli Azzurri’ as they failed to score before halftime in their last five H2Hs.

On the other hand, Germany strolled to a top-table finish in Group A3 ahead of the Netherlands (W4, D2), netting an eye-catching 18 goals in six matches! That’s largely thanks to landslide victories against Bosnia (7-0) and Hungary (5-0). However, it takes nothing away from Germany’s renaissance under Julian Nagelsmann. Except for a controversial loss to Euro 2024 winners Spain in last summer’s tournament, ‘Die Mannschaft’ haven’t lost any of their 14 remaining internationals since the start of 2024 (W10, D4). Brimming with confidence, Germany will be out to post their first away win against Italy since 1986.