Italian miracle, second act. Not even the time to enjoy the victory over Spain before it's time to think about Germany, an opponent, if possible, even stronger and more prohibitive than the previous one. Let's get the tooth out right away: the Germans are the clear favourites, from all points of view. But after the victory in Paris we go to Bordeaux with the conviction that we can at least play for it, if only because, in this European Championship, we have given our best against teams stronger than us (Belgium, Spain) than with those within our reach (Sweden, Ireland). “A month ago there would have been no match, but now we are here to play after winning the group and deservedly beating the Spaniards – thought Conte. – No one leaves defeated, we have worked hard to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. We respect Germany a lot but now the word is on the pitch." Subtle dig that of the coach, given that our opponents have spent the week flaunting a self-confidence bordering on arrogance. Yesterday, however, Joachim Low preferred to fly low, perhaps because he was burned by the defeat in 2012: even then they were the favorites and yet the field once again saw us as superior. “In recent days we have analyzed Italy, we know that it is not only good at defending itself – explained the German coach. – We are aware that every match could be the last, we feel the tension but we are also relaxed because we are aware of our strength. It's a question of balance, not of arrogance”.
Maybe, yet we prefer the low (ironically…) blue profile to the German one, if only for the memories of the past. Anyone who reads is authorized to beg you but Germany, in official tournaments, has never beaten us, on the contrary it has represented some of the greatest pages in our football history. The 4-3 in Mexico '70, the 3-1 in Spain '82, the 0-2 in Dortmund 2006, right up to the 1-2 in Warsaw 2012. But beware of resting too much on the laurels of the past: this time the Germans, if possible, are even more frightening. Furthermore, Italy is beginning to feel the effects of this European Championship all on the accelerator: Candreva will not be in the match, De Rossi is still in doubt, there are even 11 cautioned players. The good news, however, is that the Roma player, so far one of the best ever, might as well recover. “I don't want to go too far, these are matches to be played at 120% – Conte glossed over. – He is in fair condition but you have to be fine, not fine. We'll see, in any case I have faith in the whole group." Sturaro is ready to play his part but the hope is that DDR will be able to bite the bullet (if it were up to him, he would even play with one leg) and participate in the battle. For the rest of the team, there shouldn't be any surprises: Buffon in goal, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini in defence, Florenzi, Parolo, Giaccarini and De Sciglio in midfield, Eder and Pellé in attack. Eleven made and finished also for Low, who will field his team with the classic 4-2-3-1: Neuer between the posts, Kimmich, Boateng, Hummels and Hector in the back, Khedira and Kroos in the midfield, Ozil, Muller and Draxler on the trocar behind the lone striker Gomez. The match referee will be Viktor Kassai, a Hungarian with an easy card as shown by the statistics of last season, in which he distributed 139 yellow cards and 5 red cards in 32 games. Another not exactly positive news given our situation, warnings but that's it: tonight will not be for the faint of heart.
