After a dismal few months abruptly ended a sensationally successful cycle, Italy kick off their latest UEFA Nations League campaign against old rivals Germany on Saturday evening, in Bologna.
The European champions missed out on qualification for Qatar 2022 due to a humbling playoff defeat and were heavily beaten in midweek, while their neighbours cruised into this winter's World Cup, where they will seek a fifth global crown.
Match preview
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An era ended in Palermo, just over two months ago, as Italy's Euro 2020 winners repeated the same mistakes as their predecessors back in 2017, when the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup in Russia.
Amid recrimination and calls, from some quarters, for the axe to fall on coach Roberto Mancini - previously lauded for leading his nation to an improbably long unbeaten run and winning the Euros - a painful 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia ended hopes of making the finals at the semi-final stage of the playoffs.
After a relatively meaningless friendly win over Turkey just a few days later, Italy's most recent get-together commenced in embarrassing fashion, as the 'Finalissima' clash with Argentina - bringing together the reigning champions of Europe and South America - saw them suffer a 3-0 loss at Wembley.
A symbolic changing of the guard took place at the scene of the Azzurri's continental triumph less than 12 months previously, as captain Giorgio Chiellini bade farewell to La Nazionale - making his 117th and final appearance in the iconic light-blue jersey.
Mancini has already declared that a rejuvenation of the squad is about to unfold, as he builds once again, having succeeded in piecing together a team that not only lifted the trophy in England last summer, but also finished first in their 2020-21 Nations League group ahead of the Netherlands and Poland.
Though Italy therefore qualified for the tournament's finals, they were beaten in the semis by Euro 2020 victims Spain last October, and ultimately claimed the minor consolation of third place by beating Belgium.
Their new Nations League campaign now starts at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, as Mancini's transitional squad tackle League A Group 3, which also features England and Hungary.
With a flurry of fixtures to come in the following fortnight - a total of four in 10 days - Italy will have to quickly forget their Finalissima fiasco and hit the ground running against the most formidable of opening opponents.
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No strangers to being overturned by the Macedonians - who they strode past during qualifying to secure a spot in Qatar, despite losing 2-1 to them at home - Germany arrive at Dall'Ara full of optimism under the fresh management of head coach Hansi Flick.
Having helped his predecessor Joachim Low to lead Die Mannschaft to World Cup glory eight years ago, the former Bayern Munich manager - also a Champions League winner in 2020 - now oversees an exciting crop of young players.
Following the relative failures of a last-16 exit at the Euros and being beaten to a place in the Nations League finale by Spain, the new-look Nationalelf will prepare for November's global gathering by measuring themselves against the two Euro finalists and a Hungary side which caused them such problems in a 2-2 draw last summer.
Though Flick's team emerged from the World Cup qualifiers with nine wins from 10 in a weak Group J - rattling in goals at a rate of three per game - and subsequently beat Israel in a friendly, they had not played against any team from the top 10 of FIFA's rankings until a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in March.
Stating his aim is to top their new Nations League group, Flick now takes his men to Emilia-Romagna with Germany unbeaten in their last four games against the Italians, who are undergoing a rebuild to rival the size of that performed by Low and company prior to 2014.
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Team News
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Missing several players at Wembley - including Serie A Capocannoniere Ciro Immobile, long-term injury victim Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi, Marco Verratti and Roma's Nicolo Zaniolo - Italy coach Roberto Mancini sent out an unfamiliar lineup against Argentina, and there could be numerous changes to the first XI on Saturday.
Giorgio Chiellini's time with the Azzurri is now over, so Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni should be drafted into the hosts' back four, while recent Scudetto winner Sandro Tonali may feature in midfield.
Among others, Federico Bernardeschi, Emerson Palmieri, Lorenzo Insigne, Jorginho and Verratti were all released from international duty following Wednesday's game.
Euro 2020 hero Leonardo Spinazzola has made his long-awaited international comeback, after an Achilles tendon tear last summer, and he will compete with Cristiano Biraghi to take Emerson's left-back spot. In a squad containing a trio of uncapped midfielders, Sassuolo starlet Davide Frattesi hopes to make his debut.
Meanwhile, Germany have already embedded several of their next-generation talents over the course of the last year, and many have secured permanent places in the visitors' squad.
Dortmund-bound defender Nico Schlotterbeck - who recently suffered DFB Pokal final defeat in his last game for Freiburg - and Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala are likely to feature, while Karim Adeyemi provides an alternative to Timo Werner up front.
Experienced campaigners Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Julian Draxler are both not involved, but evergreen forward Thomas Muller should start in partnership with Bayern clubmates Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane in attack, and Leon Goretzka is available after overcoming an ankle injury.
Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Florenzi, Acerbi, Bastoni, Biraghi; Cristante, Tonali, Frattesi; Politano, Scamacca, Raspadori
Germany possible starting lineup:
Neuer; Kehrer, Rudiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Goretzka; Gnabry, Muller, Sane; Werner
We say: Italy 0-1 Germany
Few would have predicted such difficult times ahead for the European champions so soon after their crowning glory last July, but morale-drained Italy are a shadow of their former selves and now enter a tricky transition.
Germany are far further ahead in their development, and can find goals from a variety of sources, so should return home with an opening Nations League victory before reconvening with old foes England next week.
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