Germany consider tonight’s friendly with Italy as “an absolute classic rich in history and class,” confirming some of the line-up.
It kicks off at the Allianz Arena in Munich at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“Everyone is looking forward to the game and everyone is very focused,” assistant manager Thomas Schneider told DFB.de.
“This game, like the one against England, is an absolute classic. Italy and Germany have each won the World Cup four times, the fixture is rich in history and class.
Germany consider tonight’s friendly with Italy as “an absolute classic rich in history and class,” confirming some of the line-up.
It kicks off at the Allianz Arena in Munich at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
“Everyone is looking forward to the game and everyone is very focused,” assistant manager Thomas Schneider told DFB.de.
“This game, like the one against England, is an absolute classic. Italy and Germany have each won the World Cup four times, the fixture is rich in history and class.
“Both teams will be highly motivated for the game, both want to win and send out a message. After the game against England the pressure on us has not been relieved. We want to put in a good performance tonight.”
Manuel Neuer has been sent home due to illness, so Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will start.
As Bastian Schweinsteiger is injured, Sami Khedira of Juventus was Germany’s captain against England, but Thomas Müller gets the armband this time.
“He will be leading the team out in his own back yard.”
The Azzurri held European Champions Spain to a 1-1 draw on Friday, while Germany lost 3-2 at home to England after leading 2-0.
“Anyone who saw Italy in their last game against Spain will have seen how strong the team is. Even when under a lot of pressure, they find solutions in the way they play – this was done wonderfully in their goal against Spain.
“They are tactically flexible, can adjust to several formation systems. Aside from this they live up to their classic attributes: they are clever, efficient. Italy are difficult to play against.
“Against England, we didn't lose because our opponents were necessarily better than us. England has a good team but they're certainly not better than us,” insisted Schneider.
“We didn't play to the best of our ability and that caused us problems. When we play as well as we can, I think we're better than any potential opponent. It's all in our hands.
“I don't want to overstate the importance of the game – the European Championship on July 10 will be decisive, not our game on March 29.
“In any case, we want to end the international break with a successful result and put on a good show for the fans.”