Euro 2020 Odds: Italy Specials & Top Scorer

Italy enter Euro 2020 as the dark horses after failing to make an impact in international football over the last few tournaments. Since Fabio Cannavaro lifted the World Cup in 2006, the Italians have struggled to replicate that success in international football, going through several managers along the way and ending two of their tournaments at the group stages.

Former Manchester City manager, Roberto Mancini, took over from Gian Piero Ventura as the national team manager in 2018, after they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. Now, the Italians have been drawn in a group containing Turkey, Switzerland and Wales and on paper, they are favourites to advance through to the knockout stages of the competition, however, the other teams in the group will all feel like they have a good chance to also qualify as they are at a similar level.

Wales were one of the highlights of the last Euros with a series of impressive performances, including a 3-1 victory against Belgium and advancing to the semi-finals where they were defeated by eventual champions Portugal. Turkey and Switzerland both impressed in the qualifying stages, as Switzerland topped their group and Turkey finished second to world champions France, who they were unbeaten against and beat 2-0.

Finishing the qualifying stage as joint second top scorers with 37 goals, Italy will fancy themselves going forward as they pose a threat to any defence in the competition and with the likes of Ciro Immobile, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne, goals shouldn’t be hard to come by for the Azzuri - the three combined for over 50 goals in the Serie A in the 2020/21 season for their respective clubs.

They also boast a wealth of experience between them, however, they haven’t yet had the opportunity to test themselves at the top level. Marco Veratti, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Jorginho are all part of the creative engine for the Azzuri whilst also providing a solid platform for Mancini’s side to build from.

We can't see past Immobile scoring the most, though, as he has been the top Italian scorer in all of Europe by some distance over the past decade and he remains their best attacking output.

Italian football is renowned for solid defensive football making them hard to beat and tough opponents for whoever they come up against and therefore, players might be prone to a booking or two throughout a game.

Midfield metronome, Marco Verratti, is the favourite for the Italians at 6/1 to receive the most booking and whilst he is known for his elegant style of play and supreme technical ability, the Paris Saint-Germain man isn’t innocent from petulance now and then.

Fellow midfielder Nicolo Barella is the second favourite to receive the most bookings for Italy at 13/2. The Inter Milan title-winner has a dynamic style of play that contributes to his susceptibility to give fouls away and receive bookings on a regular occasion. Finally, Juventus and Italy stalwarts Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini both come in at 11/1 and 12/1, respectively, as they pride themselves in being rock-solid, no-nonsense defenders that the Italians are notorious for.

As previously mentioned, Italy are favourites on paper to advance from Group A and will be confident in doing so, however, they won’t find it as easy as many may expect. They are in a group with teams that are set up well and possess players that can cause them issues on their day.

If the Italians want to be seen as a threat in the tournament, they should get through their group relatively comfortably and look to replicate their perfect record from the qualifying stages at the Euros.

See our Portugal tops scorer odds by clicking here.