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Germany centre-back Mats Hummels has warned his teammates that they cannot allow Italy to take the lead if they are to win Saturday's quarterfinal in Bordeaux. Germany have reached the semifinal stage at each of the four tournaments they have played since Joachim Low took charge after the 2006 World Cup. However, if they are to reach the last four in France they will have to secure their first ever victory over Italy at a major tournament, having drawn four and lost four of their previous eight meetings. In their last competitive meeting, Italy defeated Germany 2-1 at the semifinal stage of Euro 2012, when Mario Balotelli headed the opener on 20 minutes and doubled their lead before the break. Hummels, who was part of Low's side in that game, said that defeat "won't affect" the Germany players on Saturday but added: "What we have learnt is that we should not fall behind 1-0. They are too much in the driver's seat then. "I'd be a great advocate for changing the complexion of the match by taking the lead ourselves." Hummels has only faced the Azzurri once at a senior tournament but he was part of the successful side at 2009 Under-21 European Championship in Sweden, when Germany beat Italy 1-0 in the semifinals. Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Howedes, Mesut Ozil started the match, and Hummels came off the bench in the dying seconds. "We beat them with our under-21 in 2009, and thus my record is balanced. We also have looked good in friendly matches against them after 2012," he said, referring to a 1-1 draw in Milan in late 2013 and a 4-1 win in Munich this March. However, he acknowledged that Germany are a "Turniermannschaft" -- a team picking up form during a tournament -- and said: "It is very difficult to beat them." Germany trained for 90 minutes on Tuesday, with only left-back Jonas Hector, who was rested with a minor cold, sitting out the session.
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