Who will be the hero in the quarterfinal clash of European heavyweights?
Match Info
Location: San Siro, Milan, Italy
Date: Thursday, March 20th, 2025
Time: 8:45pm local time, 3:45pm EST
TV/streaming: fuboTV, Find Your Country
Julian Naglesmann’s German national team squad cruised past Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Netherlands with four wins and two draws to claim first place in Group A3. After a four month hiatus, Germany will play Italy in a highly anticipated two-leg quarterfinal matchup.
Historically, Italy (15W-13D-9L) holds the advantage over Germany. However, the Italians have not beat the Germans in the last six attempts, dating back to 2012. The biggest clash between the two sides occurred in the 1982 World Cup final when Italy won 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
Italy finished tied with France for first place in group A2, but the French won the goal differential tiebreaker.
In the competition’s short history, Germany has failed to reach the knockout stage in all three previous attempts.
Team news
Here is the predicted lineup, courtesy of BFW:
Quarter-final time!
Here’s our squad for the upcoming Nations League quarter-final matches against Italy!
| March 20 | ⏰ 20:45 CET | 15:45 ET
| March 23 | ⏰ 20:45 CET | 15:45 ET #DFB #GermanFootball #GermanMNT pic.twitter.com/zcEezwbyWs— German Football (@DFB_Team_EN) March 13, 2025
Julian Nagelsmann lineups are notoriously difficult to predict but he does have a few favorites, like Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané, that he wants to help through rough patches. Having David Raum and Maximilian Mittelstädt will allow the left flank to be completely interchangeable against the Italians.
Oliver Baumann has already been announced as the starter over Bayern loanee alexander Nübel. Joshua Kimmich is the only reasonable option at right back until proven otherwise. Leon Goretzka is back with the national team but will need to displace the incumbents during rotational minutes.
Italy exclusively used an awkward 3-5-1-1 in the group stage. In a departure from traditional Italian soccer, Italy only recorded a single clean sheet (1-0 win at Belgium). The Italian attack is well balanced and can score from anywhere. If Germany can leave the San Siro with a draw, the return leg will be much easier.
Bavarian Podcast Works — Preview Show: Italy vs. Germany (UEFA Nations League)
Germany looking to come out hot in 2025, and keeping their current run of form heading into the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. Stakes are particularly high, knowing that whoever wins this quarter-final will host the Nations League Finals in June.
- A look at the recent form of each team and how they performed in the Nations League so far.
- A look at the rosters and injuries for Italy and Germany.
- Why Germany should be cautious.
- A guess at Germany’s starting XI.
- A prediction on the match.
