Italy vs Germany Nations League preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, prediction, form guide
Saturday, June 4, 2022
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When is it? How can you watch it? All you need to know about the UEFA Nations League Group A3 game between Italy and Germany.
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Italy and Germany meet in UEFA Nations League Group A3 on Saturday 4 June.
Italy vs Germany at a glance
When: Saturday 4 June (20:45 CET kick-off)
Where: Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna
What: UEFA Nations League Group A3 fixture
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Where to watch Italy vs Germany on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here.
Line-ups
Italy: Donnarumma; Florenzi, Acerbi, Bastoni, Biraghi; Frattesi, Cristante, Tonali; Politano, Scamacca, Pellegrini.
Germany: Neuer; Kehrer, Rüdiger, Süle, Henrichs; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Müller, Sané; Werner.
Form guide
Italy (most recent match first): LWLDDW
Germany (most recent match first): DWWWWW
Expert prediction
Paolo Menicucci, match reporter: After the disappointment of Finalissima against Argentina, Italy will be glad to quickly get back on the horse against another giant of world football. Roberto Mancini hopes to start a new cycle with several youngsters ready to step in, among them Sandro Tonali after an excellent season with AC Milan. The glory days of EURO 2022 feel far removed right now, and a good start to the Nations League would be just what the doctor ordered. Germany will have other plans as they aim to continue their unbeaten streak under Hans-Dieter Flick, who oversaw eight consecutive wins before drawing against the Netherlands in March.
What the coaches say
Roberto Mancini, Italy coach: "After [the 3-0 Finalissima defeat against Argentina], we had thoughts of changing a few things, and we will. We need to find the players, put together a team that will suffer at the start and which in the future will be able to give us joy. Since the European Championship we have struggled to score goals and we have to find a solution to this. We have to make as few mistakes as possible."
Hansi Flick, Germany coach: "We're delighted to test ourselves against the best. England and Italy were the two EURO finalists so we're looking forward to these encounters. This sort of tournament is just what we need. It's important we take the next step. Recently we've played against teams who are not in the top ten [of the FIFA rankings] but now we come up against teams with real quality. If we manage to win our group, we'll be happy. That's our goal."
What happens after the UEFA Nations League group stage?
The four group winners in League A will advance to the knockout finals with, in principle, one appointed as hosts. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 June 2023 with the final and third-place play-off to follow on 18 June.
The teams finishing fourth in the groups in Leagues A will be relegated to League B for the 2024/25 edition.