Sports Mole previews Sunday’s European Under-21s Championship clash between Germany Under-21s and Italy Under-21s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Having emerged from the group phase with a flawless record, Germany Under-21s will meet Italy Under-21s on Sunday evening, as two old foes meet in the 2025 European Under-21 Championship quarter-finals.
The Germans strolled through with three wins from three, while the Azzurrini are also unbeaten, and they now vie to meet either Denmark or France in the semis.
Match preview
The only team with a perfect record still intact, Germany were totally dominant in Group B, averaging three goals per game en route to finishing first by a five-point margin.
After putting three past Slovenia and beating the Czechs 4-2, they then saw off England despite changing their entire starting XI last time out.
Eintracht Frankfurt winger Ansgar Knauff scored the first and set up the second in a 2-1 win over Lee Carsley’s reigning champions, clinching top spot in style.
Having previously posted eight wins from 10 in an unbeaten qualification campaign, confidence is sky-high in the camp as the Germans go toe-to-toe with familiar rivals this weekend.
Antonio Di Salvo’s side will travel to Dunajska Streda for a knockout contest with Italy, battling it out for a place in next week’s semi-finals.
Now approaching four years in charge of his nation’s Under-21s, Di Salvo may have family links to Sicily, but there will be no room for sentiment on Sunday evening.
While Italy have not matched Germany’s prolific scoring rate, they conceded just once during the group stage and ultimately finished second to Spain on goals scored.
Carmine Nunziata‘s side posted back-to-back 1-0 wins over Romania and tournament hosts Slovakia to book their place in the last eight with one game remaining, before drawing 1-1 with La Rojita to finish Group A unbeaten.
Italy also impressed in qualifying, conceding only four times and staying undefeated, so they may prove a tough nut to crack for the Germans.
Indeed, they have lost just one of their last 13 matches, with new Brighton & Hove Albion signing Diego Coppola helming a resolute defence.
Now hoping to reach their first European Under-21 semi-final since 2017, the Azzurrini are ultimately intent on winning a record sixth continental title at this age level.
It has been some 21 years since their last triumph, though, and expectation may weigh heavily on the squad’s young shoulders.
Germany Under-21s European Under-21s Championship form:
W W W
Germany Under-21s form (all competitions):
D W W W W W
Italy Under-21s European Under-21s Championship form:
W W D
Italy Under-21s form (all competitions):
D L D W W D
Team News
Germany will recall a number of players rested for the clash with England; key men such as Brighton’s Brajan Gruda and tournament top scorer Nick Woltemade should return.
The latter is likely to support Cagliari-born Nicolo Tresoldi up front, though Ansgar Knauff, Paul Wanner and Nelson Weiper all made their case for selection last time out.
Once again, FC Koln midfielder Eric Martel captains the side, while Italy are skippered by Olympiacos centre-back Lorenzo Pirola.
The Azzurrini also rotated their squad for the final group game, so Carmine Nunziata should bring back several regular starters, such as goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches, midfielder Cesare Casadei and Atalanta wide man Matteo Ruggeri.
Rising star Niccolo Pisilli scored against Spain so will hope to be retained, but he faces stiff competition in attack: his Roma teammate Tommaso Baldanzi joins Giuseppe Ambrosino, Fiorentina target Jacopo Fazzini and England-based pair Wilfried Gnonto and Luca Koleosho in the fight for three places.
Germany Under-21s possible starting lineup: Atubolu; Collins, Rosenfelder, Arrey-Mbi, Brown; Reitz, Martel; Gruda, Woltemade, Nebel; Tresoldi
Italy Under-21s possible starting lineup: Desplanches; Zanotti, Ghilardi, Pirola, Ruggeri; Fabbian, Casadei, Ndour; Baldanzi, Fazzini; Gnonto
We say: Germany Under-21s 1-0 Italy Under-21s
The tournament’s top attack meets a solid Italian defence, so an absorbing contest awaits in the fourth quarter-final.
With wins racking up, Germany are riding the crest of a wave, so they should get the job done and book a final-four spot in Slovakia.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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