After missing out on back-to-back World Cup finals, Italy will be desperate to return to the big international stage. Gli Azzurri’s bid to defend the European Championship crown kicks off on Thursday as they welcome England to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
If you’re a fan of omens, Italy conquered Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium in the summer of 2021, overcoming non-other than the Three Lions in the grand final. Fast forward a little under two years, and the two European heavyweights find themselves in the same qualifying group for the next tournament.
Drawn together in a straightforward-looking Group C alongside Malta, North Macedonia, and Ukraine, the Euro 2020 finalists are tipped to fight for the top spot in this section. But even a runner-up finish will be enough to guarantee automatic qualification for Euro 2024, so both Italy and England should be safe and sound in this regard.
Keen to stamp some early authority on the top spot, Italy should have a psychological edge over their bitter continental rivals after going unbeaten in their last six meetings in all competitions (W3, D3). Giacomo Raspadori’s goal fired Roberto Mancini’s side to a 1-0 win in their most recent encounter against England in September 2022 as part of their UEFA Nations League campaign.
In the meantime, England will return to action for the first time since suffering a gut-wrenching 2022 World Cup quarter-finals exit at the hands of France. Despite failing to make a standout achievement at a major tournament again, Gareth Southgate has kept hold of his job but remains under heavy scrutiny.
Anything other than plain sailing in a bid to reach the European Championship for the fourth time in a row could result in an immediate sacking as far as Southgate is concerned. With the pressure mounting on the England gaffer, Italy may have to play out of their skin to maintain their eye-catching H2H record against the Three Lions.
Italy vs England Preview
Italy
Since going down 1-0 in a decisive World Cup play-off qualifier to fellow Group C rivals North Macedonia a year ago, the Italians have gone from strength to strength on home turf, racking up two wins and a draw. However, entertainment has been relatively sparse as two of their last three home matches have featured under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a cagey, low-scoring contest.
That’s typically the type of environment in which Italy tend to shine, especially under Mancini. Single-goal margin wins have become a hallmark of Mancini’s tenure at Gli Azzurri. However, they wouldn’t mind another hard-earned success as long as it helps them continue an outrageous unbeaten home run in European qualifiers spanning back to 1999.
Player to Watch: Vincenzo Grifo
Vincenzo Grifo could appear as a surprise pick at first glance, but he was instrumental to Italy’s unbeaten record during November’s international break. The SC Freiburg forward played his part in all three of Gli Azzurri’s goals the last time club football took a back seat to accommodate international fixtures, scoring twice and assisting once.
England
Despite suffering another premature exit at a major tournament, England didn’t fail to impress in Qatar. Indeed, they probably deserved a better result against France after winning three of their four previous World Cup matches en route to the quarter-finals (D1). But an underwhelming Nations League relegation in the build-up to the tournament could still hunt Southgate down.
That’s unless the Three Lions kick things off in European qualifiers with a bang. Poised by revenge after a Euro 2020 heartbreak, the visitors will be looking to post their first away win over Italy since 1961. What a way it would be for Southgate to celebrate becoming only the third England manager to hit a 50-win landmark!
Player to Watch: Harry Kane
It must be him! Harry Kane is on the verge of reaching another career milestone as he needs one goal to overtake legendary Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time top goalscorer. The prolific striker has 53 international strikes under his belt and will be Southgate’s main man in Naples.
Team News
In addition to the abovementioned Grifo, Italy will rely on Leeds United speed demon Wilfried Gnonto to come up with the goods up top. Despite lacking the services of Juventus dynamo Federico Chiesa, Mancini, who has been worried about his attacking options, must be thrilled to welcome Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi back to the fold.
But the Italians’ star-studded midfield should be the team’s driving force, with Marco Verratti, Jorginho, and Nicolo Barella likely to start.
As for England, Kane should have welcoming support from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Manchester City’s Jack Grealish in the front third, with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham likely to provide cover from the back.
Despite falling out of favor at Manchester United, Harry Maguire should start at the heart of England’s defense. His club teammate Marcus Rashford has had to pull out of the Three Lions squad due to injury, handing Italy’s hopes of coming out on top a massive boost.
Italy vs England Potential Lineups
Italy (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Francesco Acerbi, Romagnoli, Leonardo Spinazzola; Nicolo Barella, Marco Verratti, Jorginho; Domenico Berardi, Gianluca Scamacca, Vinenzo Grifo.
England (4-3-3): Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham; Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish.
We Say
We can easily envisage a share of the spoils in what promises to be a closely-contested encounter.
Prediction: Draw
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