These two famous footballing nations will line up against each other at Helsingborg's Olympia tonight as they aim to make it through to the final against either England or Sweden.
Italy will be looking to add to their five tournament wins at this level while Germany will be looking for their first.
Tonight's match pits arguably the best defence of the tournament against the best attack. Germany have only conceded one goal in their three qualifying games, a Jack Rodwell header for England.
Benedikt Howedes and Jerome Boateng have been impressive in the German centre-back pairing. Howedes has chipped in with a goal while boateng set up Gonzalo Castro's strike against England.
Italy, meanwhile, have a trio of attacking stars in the form of Sebastian Giovinco, Robert Aquafresca and Mario Balotelli (pictured). The latter will return from suspension following his sending-off against Sweden, but the Ghanaian-born striker showed his class with an expertly taken finish before his moment of madness.
Aquafresca has also looked potent in attack. The Cagliari striker scored three times in the group stage and is attracting interest both at home and abroad. he currently lies second in the list of top goalscorers in the tournament, behind Marcus Berg who has five goals.
Giovinco, meanwhile, is the creative force in the team, often dropping deep to link up with the midfielders. His small frame allows him a low centre of gravity making him difficult to knock-off the ball.
It will be an intriguing match and no doubt a competitive one as games between these nations generally are. With a place in the final at stake no love will be lost in the most fanatic of Swedish footballing cities.
Photo Credit: segnaleorario
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