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International football is back again. Italy, who failed to qualify for the Qatar World Cup, will face England on Thursday night in the Euro Qualifiers. It will be England’s first game after the Qatar World Cup.
Stats & Facts
Although Italy missed two world cups in a row, they have been playing well. They haven’t lost a single competitive match against England since the 1977 World Cup. Moreover, Italy defeated The Three Lions in the final of Euro 2020 to lift the trophy.
However, England played two more games after the Euro 2020 against the Azzurris but never won. They lost one and tied one. So, it’s a chance for the Southgate boys to take revenge on Thursday night.
Team News
It’s been a wild ride for Manchester United’s England international Marcus Rashford since the World Cup. No other players in Europe’s top five leagues scored more goals than Rashford after the Qatar World Cup. Surely, Rashford could be a key factor for England boss Gareth Southgate, but an injury keeps him out of the squad. During the match against Fulham FC, Marcus Rashford got a knock which will take a few weeks to recover.
England have more injury concerns as Mason Mount and in-form goalkeeper Nick Pope are unavailable for the match against Italy because of injury. However, Brentford’s striker Ivan Tony has been called up for the first time in England’s squad.
The Possible Lineup for England:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Henderson, Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Grealish
As for Italy, they have several injury issues in their squad. Federico Chiesa has been in brilliant form but will miss the match due to injury. Ciro Immobile, Giacomo Raspadori, left-back Federico Dimarco, and goalkeeper Ivan Provedel are also unavailable against England.
The Possible Lineup for Italy:
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Acerbi, Romagnoli, Spinazzola; Barella, Verratti, Jorginho; Berardi, Retegui, Grifo
Prediction: Italy 1-1 England
This is the first game after the world cup, so there might be a bit of a learning curve for both sides. England have a squad full of youngsters, while Italy will have the home advantage as the host.
Betfair Odds
England: 2.62
Draw: 3.20
Italy: 2.70
