U20 Elite League Preview: Germany vs. Italy
| Germany U20 captain Max Moerstedt | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images |
Hannes Wolf’s Germany U20 squad will face Italy in Spain in the second matchday of the U20 Elite League. Last season's runner-up started their campaign with a narrow win over France, while Italy lost 3-1 against Mikey Moore's England.
Max Moerstedt’s solitary strike against debutants France extended Germany's winning streak in the competition to five games. Meanwhile, Italy U20 are winless in their last seven games.
That includes a 5-0 victory for Germany when these two teams last met in November 2025. Moerstedt and Paris Brunner scored braces on that day as Germany U20 are unbeaten in this fixture since 2015.
With Brunner making the step up to the U21s, Wolf handed HSV’s highly-rated striker Otto Stange his Germany U20 debut against France. Werder Bremen’s defender Mick Schmetgens and Barça Atlètic’s new midfielder Mirza Catovic were also among those playing their first Germany games at the U20 level in Friday's game.
Meanwhile, Noah Darvich and Francis Onyeka followed last season's top-scorer Brunner as they were promoted to Antonio Di Salvo's squad for the last games of the U21 Euros qualifiers. The U20 Elite League is mainly designed for players development as coaches are free to make more than five substitutions in games.
Predicted Lineups
Germany U20: Hellstern; Kabar, Schmetgens, Odogu, Bulut; Moreira, Mamuzah Lum, Catovic, Alfa-Ruprecht; Moerstedt ©, Stange
Italy U20: Siviero; Cama, Amey, Stabile, Filippo; Di Nunzio, Mannini ©, Rispoli; Rao, Lavelli, De Pieri
