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Italy is one of the most successful teams in the history of football, winning four FIFA World Cups. They have produced so many football legends such as Paolo Maldini, Del Piero, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti, Nesta, Pirlo, Buffon, and many more!
But this historical football team has been very unfortunate in recent years. They have missed consecutive two FIFA World Cup events as they failed to qualify. However, the Italian Football Federation is very determined to rebuild the team once again. They have appointed Luciano Spalletti as their head coach, replacing Roberto Mancini. Luciano Spalletti was the manager of Napoli until he joined Italy’s National Football Team. Under him, Napoli won the Serie A after a long 33 years.
Now Italy are playing in the UEFA Europ Qualifiers. The Azzurri will host Ukraine tonight at the legendary San Siro, the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Stats & Facts
Italy have played only one game under their new manager, Luciano Spalletti. Spalletti’s first task was against North Macedonia, which ended in a 1-1 tie. The manager is looking for his first victory tonight against Ukraine.
However, Italy have been inconsistent in the UEFA Euro Qualifiers. They have won only one of their all three games so far, losing one and drawing the remaining one.
On the other hand, Ukraine started their Qualifiers with a defeat but made a strong response in their remaining games. After the defeat, Ukraine won two games in a row. They also have tied their last game in the Qualifiers against England.
Team News
Italy manager Luciano Spalletti has to deal with some injury problems in his squad. Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini are unavailable due to injuries. Roma’s defender Gianluca Mancini is also out of the squad due to a thigh injury, while Napoli’s striker Matteo Politano will miss the game due to a calf problem.
As for Ukraine, Nikolai Matvienko and Mykhaylo Mudryk got a knock during the game against England. However, Mudryk has passed the fitness test, while Nikolai Matvienko is still in doubt.
The Possible Lineup for Italy:
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Scalvini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Barella, Cristante, Tonali; Zaniolo, Zaccagni, Immobile
The Possible Lineup for Ukraine:
Bushchan; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Kryvstov, Mykolenko; Tsgankov, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Zinchenko, Mudryk; Yaremchuk
At San Siro, I don’t have to ask for anything – Spalletti
Italy boss Luciano Spalletti can’t wait to be at San Siro. The manager said,
“At San Siro, I don’t have to ask for anything, we are the ones who have to earn their support. I have attended some international games there, and there has always been an important warmth around the team. The fans have always done their part. I would like to thank them in advance.”
Prediction: Italy 2-1 Ukraine
Due to the strong lineups of both teams, we expect a very tight game. However, it has always been very difficult for any team to beat Italy at San Siro. Italy is definitely the favourite side against Ukraine.
Betfair Odds
Italy: 1.54
Draw: 4.14
Ukraine: 7.08
