For our Italy vs. England prediction, we're going for a 1-1 draw.
England get their EURO 2024 qualifying campaign underway as they take on Italy in Naples in a tricky group.
Italy enter this game in a strange position. Having won the the EUROs in the summer of 2021 the Italians spectacularly failed to qualify for the World Cup and as such manager Roberto Mancini is under a reasonable amount of pressure.
They enter this game amidst a mixed run of form having won four, drawn two and lost three of their last four matches having delivered a humber of concerning performances in that period.
Some fans are frustrated with Mancini's squad selections having left out the likes of Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Fagioli.
There is also a dilemma up top with Italy not having a high level striker fit or performing in a top European league.
Their record at home is still pretty encouraging though with Mancini's side having won two and drawn one of their last three on home soil, and having gone unbeaten against England in their last six matches they'll be confident of kicking their campaign off with three points here.
England enter this game amidst a somewhat similar position to their opponents.
Despite a broadly decent World Cup campaign there is still much skepticism around the position of Gareth Southgate with many fans left dwelling on his shortcomings while becoming increasingly angered by his squad selections which frequently omit players from outside of the Premier League and players who are younger in age while favouring players he regards as regulars who are struggling for form domestically or in some cases are past their best.
England enter this game on good form having won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches and their record in qualifying matches is excellent having gone unbeaten in their last thirteen qualifiers.
The Three Lions have been hit by an injury to Marcus Rashford, arguably their most in form forward, that now sees their forward line lacking a decent chunk of pace.
As previously mentioned, England's record against Italy is poor and it's something they'll desperately want to turn around. This game is winnable for both sides and could go either way, but given the difficulty of the group draw for England three points here would be huge.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.
