diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go b/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
index 2440a51e20..d8a04a95a2 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/marshal.go
@@ -482,8 +482,11 @@ func (p *printer) marshalValue(val reflect.Value, finfo *fieldInfo, startTemplat
 		xmlname := tinfo.xmlname
 		if xmlname.name != "" {
 			start.Name.Space, start.Name.Local = xmlname.xmlns, xmlname.name
-		} else if v, ok := xmlname.value(val).Interface().(Name); ok && v.Local != "" {
-			start.Name = v
+		} else {
+			fv := xmlname.value(val, dontInitNilPointers)
+			if v, ok := fv.Interface().(Name); ok && v.Local != "" {
+				start.Name = v
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	if start.Name.Local == "" && finfo != nil {
@@ -503,7 +506,7 @@ func (p *printer) marshalValue(val reflect.Value, finfo *fieldInfo, startTemplat
 		if finfo.flags&fAttr == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
-		fv := finfo.value(val)
+		fv := finfo.value(val, dontInitNilPointers)
 
 		if finfo.flags&fOmitEmpty != 0 && isEmptyValue(fv) {
 			continue
@@ -806,7 +809,12 @@ func (p *printer) marshalStruct(tinfo *typeInfo, val reflect.Value) error {
 		if finfo.flags&fAttr != 0 {
 			continue
 		}
-		vf := finfo.value(val)
+		vf := finfo.value(val, dontInitNilPointers)
+		if !vf.IsValid() {
+			// The field is behind an anonymous struct field that's
+			// nil. Skip it.
+			continue
+		}
 
 		switch finfo.flags & fMode {
 		case fCDATA, fCharData:
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go b/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
index 6085ddbba2..d2e5137afd 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/marshal_test.go
@@ -309,6 +309,11 @@ type ChardataEmptyTest struct {
 	Contents *string `xml:",chardata"`
 }
 
+type PointerAnonFields struct {
+	*MyInt
+	*NamedType
+}
+
 type MyMarshalerTest struct {
 }
 
@@ -889,6 +894,18 @@ var marshalTests = []struct {
 			`</EmbedA>`,
 	},
 
+	// Anonymous struct pointer field which is nil
+	{
+		Value:     &EmbedB{},
+		ExpectXML: `<EmbedB><FieldB></FieldB></EmbedB>`,
+	},
+
+	// Other kinds of nil anonymous fields
+	{
+		Value:     &PointerAnonFields{},
+		ExpectXML: `<PointerAnonFields></PointerAnonFields>`,
+	},
+
 	// Test that name casing matters
 	{
 		Value:     &NameCasing{Xy: "mixed", XY: "upper", XyA: "mixedA", XYA: "upperA"},
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/read.go b/src/encoding/xml/read.go
index 10a60eed1a..ef5df3f7f6 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/read.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/read.go
@@ -435,7 +435,7 @@ func (d *Decoder) unmarshal(val reflect.Value, start *StartElement) error {
 				}
 				return UnmarshalError(e)
 			}
-			fv := finfo.value(sv)
+			fv := finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 			if _, ok := fv.Interface().(Name); ok {
 				fv.Set(reflect.ValueOf(start.Name))
 			}
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ func (d *Decoder) unmarshal(val reflect.Value, start *StartElement) error {
 				finfo := &tinfo.fields[i]
 				switch finfo.flags & fMode {
 				case fAttr:
-					strv := finfo.value(sv)
+					strv := finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 					if a.Name.Local == finfo.name && (finfo.xmlns == "" || finfo.xmlns == a.Name.Space) {
 						if err := d.unmarshalAttr(strv, a); err != nil {
 							return err
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ func (d *Decoder) unmarshal(val reflect.Value, start *StartElement) error {
 			}
 			if !handled && any >= 0 {
 				finfo := &tinfo.fields[any]
-				strv := finfo.value(sv)
+				strv := finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 				if err := d.unmarshalAttr(strv, a); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
@@ -478,22 +478,22 @@ func (d *Decoder) unmarshal(val reflect.Value, start *StartElement) error {
 			switch finfo.flags & fMode {
 			case fCDATA, fCharData:
 				if !saveData.IsValid() {
-					saveData = finfo.value(sv)
+					saveData = finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 				}
 
 			case fComment:
 				if !saveComment.IsValid() {
-					saveComment = finfo.value(sv)
+					saveComment = finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 				}
 
 			case fAny, fAny | fElement:
 				if !saveAny.IsValid() {
-					saveAny = finfo.value(sv)
+					saveAny = finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 				}
 
 			case fInnerXML:
 				if !saveXML.IsValid() {
-					saveXML = finfo.value(sv)
+					saveXML = finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers)
 					if d.saved == nil {
 						saveXMLIndex = 0
 						d.saved = new(bytes.Buffer)
@@ -687,7 +687,7 @@ Loop:
 		}
 		if len(finfo.parents) == len(parents) && finfo.name == start.Name.Local {
 			// It's a perfect match, unmarshal the field.
-			return true, d.unmarshal(finfo.value(sv), start)
+			return true, d.unmarshal(finfo.value(sv, initNilPointers), start)
 		}
 		if len(finfo.parents) > len(parents) && finfo.parents[len(parents)] == start.Name.Local {
 			// It's a prefix for the field. Break and recurse
diff --git a/src/encoding/xml/typeinfo.go b/src/encoding/xml/typeinfo.go
index 639952c74a..f30fe58590 100644
--- a/src/encoding/xml/typeinfo.go
+++ b/src/encoding/xml/typeinfo.go
@@ -344,15 +344,25 @@ func (e *TagPathError) Error() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s field %q with tag %q conflicts with field %q with tag %q", e.Struct, e.Field1, e.Tag1, e.Field2, e.Tag2)
 }
 
+const (
+	initNilPointers     = true
+	dontInitNilPointers = false
+)
+
 // value returns v's field value corresponding to finfo.
-// It's equivalent to v.FieldByIndex(finfo.idx), but initializes
-// and dereferences pointers as necessary.
-func (finfo *fieldInfo) value(v reflect.Value) reflect.Value {
+// It's equivalent to v.FieldByIndex(finfo.idx), but when passed
+// initNilPointers, it initializes and dereferences pointers as necessary.
+// When passed dontInitNilPointers and a nil pointer is reached, the function
+// returns a zero reflect.Value.
+func (finfo *fieldInfo) value(v reflect.Value, shouldInitNilPointers bool) reflect.Value {
 	for i, x := range finfo.idx {
 		if i > 0 {
 			t := v.Type()
 			if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && t.Elem().Kind() == reflect.Struct {
 				if v.IsNil() {
+					if !shouldInitNilPointers {
+						return reflect.Value{}
+					}
 					v.Set(reflect.New(v.Type().Elem()))
 				}
 				v = v.Elem()