England welcome Italy to Wembley in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday night.
The hosts come into this sitting bottom of Group 3 after two games. They now need to win here in a repeat of the Euro 2020 Final at the exact same venue.
Gareth Southage’s Lions certainly have some unfinished business in that respect. Having taken the lead in last year’s final, Italy fought back to eventually win on penalties.
That will no doubt be in the backs of the minds of the England players as they prepare for this. If it helps to motivate them to get the three points, then Southgate won’t care.
The hosts are going to have to find some motivation from somewhere. Their shocking opening defeat to Hungary was a turn up for the books. It also instantly put England on the back foot.
They’re playing catch up in the group now, but three points here could get them back on track. A win for the hosts would also blow the group wide open again.
Italy are undefeated in the group up to this point. They started off their UEFA Nations League campaign with a hard fought draw against Germany in Bologna.
They quickly followed that up with a win over Hungary last weekend. The Italians were comfortable enough at 2-0, but were squirming once the deficit was halved.
That will encourage England heading into this game. Italy have shown they’re not unbeatable, as their failure to qualify for the World Cup shows.
Below, we’ll preview this UEFA Nations League fixture and provide our predictions, the team news, our recommended bets and more…
England vs Italy Predictions
This looks set to be an entertaining game of football if each team’s last match was anything to go by. Italy’s attack was looking strong against Hungary and England were creating plenty against Germany.
It was England’s approach to the Germany game that really took pundits by surprise. Many were expecting them to go to Munich and play cautiously, but it was anything but cautious.
The Three Lions took the game to the hosts and it resulted in an end to end affair. They did ride their luck at times however, and needed the help of VAR to stay in the game.
It took a penalty for England to finally get past Maneul Neuer in the Germany goal. Southgate’s men undoubtedly got a boost once Jack Grealish was introduced and he may have earned himself a start here.
Italy seemed determined to avoid the humiliation that England had faced against Hungary in their previous game. They coasted to a 2-0 first half lead and took their foot off the gas a little in the second 45.
Hungary threatened and got one back through an own goal. You could sense the tension in the Italy side, as they were keen to avoid conceding again. In the end, it was a deserved win for The Azzurri.
Wembley will hold happy memories for this Italian team a year on from the Euros triumph. This is a chance for England to exorcise the demons of that final defeat and get some revenge.
Read on for our England vs Italy predictions and best bets.
England vs Italy Head to Head
These two countries have met each other on 14 occasions in the past. Of those 14 meetings, England have won just two, with Italy winning nine and the other ending all square.
That record doesn’t read well for England fans at all. The first time England beat the Italians was all the way back in 1977. It would take another 35 years for the Three Lions to win again in a 2012 friendly.
Since then, the two nations met in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup. Italy won the game 2-1, but both counties exited the competition at the first hurdle.
Following this, the teams met again in March 2015 and March 2018 in international friendlies. Both of those games ended in 1-1 draws.
The most recent clash, the Euro 2020 Final, also resulted in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. The game then went to extra time and penalties, where Italy eventually won the trophy.
England Team News – D L W W W
Gareth Southgate will have been much happier with his side’s performance against Germany in midweek. He’ll be looking for more of the same here, so may select a similar starting XI.
That will see Jordan Pickford retain his place in goal for the hosts. Harry Maguire and John Stones could start at the centre of defence again.
Kyle Walker could get the nod at right back, with Kieran Trippier at left back. Kalvin Phillips is a doubt after going off injured against Germany. Declan Rice could be partnered by Jude Bellingham in the centre of midfield.
Mason Mount is expected to start the game in attacking midfield. Raheem Sterling will likely provide some attacking width, along with Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish.
Harry Kane will lead the attack for the hosts. The Tottenham forward is quickly closing in on Wayne Rooney’s all-time England goalscoring record.
Italy Team News – W D L W L
Roberto Mancini will name as strong a side as possible here. Our England vs Italy predictions expect Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep his place in goal for the visitors.
Leonardo Bonucci and Gianluca Mancini are likely to be the centre defensive partnership. Leonardo Spinazzola is expected to start at left back, with Alessandro Florenzi at right back.
Bryan Cristante is the most likely to be the one asked to anchor the Italian midfield. He could be joined by Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali in the middle.
Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matteo Politano are likely to provide attacking width up front. Andrea Belotti was a handful the last time the sides met, he could start again for the visitors.
England vs Italy Betting Tips
The home side find themselves the favourites to win this game. The traders have priced the hosts up at 5/6 in our England vs Italy match bets.
A draw has been a common result between these countries lately. If you think this one will end all square, you can back the draw at 5/2.
The current European champions come to the capital as the outsiders in this contest. If you think Italy can upset the England faithful again, you can back them at 7/2.
These two will no doubt put up another competitive display at Wembley. We’re expecting them to cancel eachother out and for this one to end in a draw.
England vs Italy Recommended Bets
