Joachim Low tells Germany to forget history

Germany manager Joachim Low has told his side to forget about the past as they prepare to face Italy on Thursday.

The two sides meet in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 on Thursday with the Germans looking to beat the Azzurri for the first time ever at a major tournament.

The Italians have been successful in the seven previous tournament matches against Germany and Low is determined to end the streak.

"We can't turn back time. Forget about about it, the past doesn't play a role in our planning," said Low. Another stat is that Germany has never won against Italy in a major tournament, but so what? The situation is entirely different now and this is not an issue for us.

"The Italians have a very different team from 2010 and excellent progress behind them. They have good strengths, a lot of quality. But we also know where their weaknesses lie, where they have their problems.

"We have to bring our own game, not focus so much on the opponents. If we manage to do that, then we have a good chance."

The last time the two met was in the last four of the 2006 World Cup, when the Italians snatched victory with two late goals in extra time.

Written by
Matt Cotton