Italy coach Giampiero Ventura says he regrets the Italian Football Federation's choice of Germany as opponents for his side's final game of the year, saying he would have preferred easier opponents on Tuesday.
The friendly, which draws 2016 to a close for both national teams, was arranged before Ventura succeeded Antonio Conte as Italy coach in the summer.
Ventura told a news conference on Monday that he will just have to make the most of a game he believes his team are not yet ready for.
"It would have been better to have a less demanding game," Ventura said. "We're up against the world champions. It's true that they have some young players, but they are part of a programme which has been going for a decade.
"It's a difficult game and the real problem is what this game is going to say. I'm sorry, also because when you face Germany, you want to have had a few days to prepare, yet we only arrived here yesterday so we will have had practically 24 hours to prepare, and that's not much."
Italy will meet Germany for the second time in little over four months, having lost their first ever competitive fixture to them in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals.
"We'll just try to get the best we can out of this game, which is the possibility for us to check things," Ventura said. "I know that results matter in Italy and this also influences judgements, but together with the result what matters to me is the spirit, the interpretation and reading of situations.
"Let's try to take a step forwards in this regard. This game should open a window to us looking out on the future -- it is not already our future."
Ventura may once again experiment with the 4-2-4 formation he trialled in Liechtenstein on Friday night, when his side won 4-0, saying he has no intention of just setting out to defend at the San Siro.
"We're not scared of taking a beating," he said. "We want to win the game if we can, though. [The game against Liechtenstein in] Vaduz showed us that we can play in a different way, but we need time to be able to do so. We must not have any fear against Germany."
Ventura would not reveal exactly who he will be fielding in Milan, though changes should be made from the team which faced Liechtenstein.
Antonio Candreva and Eder are both carrying knocks, as are several other players who featured on Friday, but Ventura insists he will "field the best team" for the occasion.
"It's not just a kick about among friends in which I field the 11 players who didn't play in Vaduz," he said. "Everybody I have here is here because I called them up and feel they are worthy of a place. We have six substitutions available too and I'm not saying we will use them all, but we will do something."