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A very high-voltage UEFA Euro Qualifiers match will take place within a few hours in Group C when England hosts Italy at Wembley Stadium. It’s a great chance for England to revenge the heartbreaking defeat against the Azzurri in the final of the Euro 2020. In 2020, England was so close to lifting the trophy after ages, but Italy broke their dream and sealed the silverware at Wembley Stadium.
However, the Three Lions are ready to face off against Italy in the qualifiers of this same competition. With 13 points, England are at the top of the table, while Italy stand in 2nd with 10 points.
Can Italy reduce the point difference with England and touch them at the top, or England make it bigger? Well, we have to wait for a while to see that.
Head to Head
England and Italy faced off against each other in 9 encounters in the UEFA European Championship, where both sides have an equal record. England and Italy won two games each, while the remaining five games ended in a tie.
A total of 16 goals were scored in those games, where England and Italy scored 8 goals each. However, England lost their last meeting with Italy and lost the final of the UEFA Euro 2020.
Team News
England have a very strong lineup in recent times. Bukayo Saka has been one of the key players for England’s manager Gareth Southgate. But he will miss tonight’s crucial clash against Italy. The Arsenal winger has sustained a hamstring injury while playing for the Gunners. As a result, Gareth Southgate must change his squad.
Man City forward Phil Foden is in consideration to replace Saka. Anyway, the remaining players are fully fit and ready to play against the Azzurri. Moreover, John Stones has recovered and returned to the training. Whether he would start or not remains to be seen.
Southgate said, “With John [Stones], we’ve had really good dialogue as we always have with Manchester City. We’ve got a plan in place for that and there’s a reality around how much we should be playing him given the amount of football he’s had and the length of time he’s been out. We always look after all of our players physically – that’s very important.”
As for Italy, Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo were withdrawn from the Italy camp as they were both caught up in the recent gambling allegations. In addition, Federico Chiesa, Ivan Provedel, and Mattia Zaccagni will also miss the match due to their respective injury.
The Possible Lineup for England:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Foden, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane
The Possible Lineup for Italy:
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Frattesi, Locatelli, Barella; Berardi, Raspadori, Kean
Prediction: England 2-0 Italy
As the home team, England will have tremendous support in the historical Wembley Stadium. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden are in excellent form. On the flip, Italy is missing a number of players for several issues. England should take this advantage and win this crucial game in the UEFA Euro Qualifier.
Betfair Odds
England: 1.66
Draw: 3.71
Italy: 6.13
Betfair Odds are available on BFB247
