Germany vs Italy: Lineups, team news, will Germany ever win again, and more! (Updated)

You gotta hand it to Hansi Flick, he’s made Germany consistent. Three games, three goals scored, three goals conceded, three draws. Of course, this is generally the kind of consistency that you don’t want, because it’s not getting you any wins.

Hansi Flick will be no doubt frustrated by the performances so far, especially in attack where not enough goals have been scored. Does he have any tricks left up his sleeve? The rematch against Italy will be his chance to prove it.

Team news

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry has resumed team training following the problems with his calf muscle. Marco Reus remains sidelined. Nico Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, is suspended for yellow card accumulation. That’s pretty much it for injuries and absentees.

So, what will the starting lineup look like? It’s really hard to say. Flick will want to balance the needs of the team against the fatigue of the starters, without compromising on performance. To that end, we may see an attack composed of Thomas Muller and Lukas Nmecha up top, with Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala on the wings. Having this much firepower up top might help Germany’s ailing offense to score goals. If you’re asking why Karim Adeyemi isn’t an option, it’s because Flick confirmed in his press conference that Nmecha is still ahead of him in the pecking order.

The midfield is more or less a mystery, but we’ll just go ahead and assume that Joshua Kimmich and Ilkay Gundogan will start together for extra control. The midfield was a weak link when Germany faced Italy the last time, so hopefully it will fare better in the rematch.

As for the defense — Niklas Sule and Antonio Rudiger are prime candidates for center-back, while Jonas Hofmann may get a chance to start at right-back. Thilo Kehrer, meanwhile, could come in for David Raum at left-back, in order to give the Hoffenheim starter some rest. Manuel Neuer, who has been crucial to Germany’s endeavors so far, will probably remain in goal.

Here’s what a lineup could look like:

Update

Here's Bild’s predicted lineup.