Nations League quarter-final line-ups: Italy vs. Germany | OneFootball

Italy start Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori and Sandro Tonali start the first leg of the Nations League quarter-final against Germany’s Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané.

It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The decider will be in Dortmund on Sunday evening, but if the tie is level after that, it goes to extra time and even potentially penalties for a place in the Final Four.

Luciano Spalletti has been beset by injury problems preparing for this match, with Mateo Retegui the latest to pull out of the Italy squad after missing the likes of Federico Dimarco, Andrea Cambiaso, Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini.

It means Kean is the only real option to partner Raspadori, while Matteo Politano and Destiny Udogie take unusual wing-back roles.

Mattia Zaccagni is only fit for a spot on the Italy bench and not expected to feature.

A surprise is in midfield, where Lazio player Nicolò Rovella gets the nod rather than Samuele Ricci of Torino.

DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 18: Head coach Julian Nagelsmann is seen during a Germany training session at Borussia Dortmund training ground on March 18, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Germany have quite a few players out too, such as Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug and suspended Florian Wirtz.

Oliver Baumann is chosen for the gloves, with centre-forward Jonathan Burkardt preferred to Tim Kleindienst, supported by Bayern Munich talents Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala.

This is only Burkardt’s third cap and his first start.

These sides last met in the 2022 Nations League, with a 1-1 home draw and 5-2 defeat in Germany.

Coach Julian Nagelsmann’s record so far is of 11 wins, five draws and three defeats.

Both sides have six players each at risk of suspension for the second leg if they receive a yellow card.

Italy vs. Germany line-ups

Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Politano, Barella, Rovella, Tonali, Udogie; Raspadori; Kean

Italy bench: Meret, Vicario, Bellanova, Gatti, Buongiorno, Ricci, Maldini, Lucca, Frattesi, Ruggeri, Zaccagni, Casadei

Germany: Baumann; Kimmich, Rüdiger, Tah, Raum; Gross, Goretzka; Amiri, Musiala, Sané; Burkardt

Germany bench: Nubel, Ortega, Koch, Kleindienst, Undav, Leweling, Schlotterbeck, Stiller, Bisseck, Mittelstadt, Adeyemi, Andrich

Ref: Letexier (FRA)

Post navigation

Nations League quarter final Liveblog: Italy vs. Germany