Germany to face Italy, Rudiger looking forward to meeting Spalletti

Germany will face Italy at the San Siro in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League in the 2024/25 season. German defender Rudiger said he is looking forward to meeting Italian coach Luciano Spalletti, who once coached him.

Looking back at the record of head-to-head matches, Germany has achieved 3 wins and 2 draws in the last 5 matches against Italy.

It is worth mentioning that the 32-year-old Rudiger played under Spalletti when he was playing for Roma in Serie A.

Rudiger said in an interview, "This is a long-standing and fierce duel. I can't wait to participate in the game at the San Siro Stadium. I am very happy to see Spalletti again. He is very important to my career. At that time, I was a young player from Germany and he really made me play at my best level."

"He taught me a lot and although I am happy to see him again, I still hope to beat them with my team. Italy is a strong opponent, both in terms of the quality of the players and their coach."

Rudiger continued to play for Real Madrid, "Italy is very important to me. I learned a lot of defensive skills there. I also like the Italian lifestyle very much. There are some of the best food in the world. There are also many top clubs in Italy, such as Roma, Napoli, Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan. In the football world, everything is possible, but I am very happy at Real Madrid and I don't think about the future."

When talking about the opposing players, Rudiger said, "In the past few years, Bastoni's performance has been steadily improving and he has become the leader of Inter Milan."

"And Calafiori, I knew him when I was in Rome, he was in the youth team at that time and suffered a serious injury. Now he has joined Arsenal and has a bright future. But for now, Bastoni is undoubtedly the best defender in Italy."