England will host Italy in UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers on Tuesday, looking to continue their impressive run of form.
England come into the game against Italy on the back of a 1-0 win over Australia in an international friendly last week. Gareth Southgate’s men are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions, and they will look to extend their fine run of form against the Azzurri.
Meanwhile, Italy picked up a 4-0 win over Malta in the UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers last week. Luciano Spalletti’s charges are second In Group C, three points adrift of leaders England. They will look to bridge the gap with a win over the home side here. England will hope to open up a six-point gap with Italy in first place.
The last time these two sides met, England picked up a 2-1 win over Italy away from home, and they will look to replicate their performance here. Italy are unbeaten in five of their last six matches and it remains to be seen whether they can avenge a home defeat against England tomorrow.
Next: 🏴🆚🇮🇹#ThreeLions | @NuffieldHealth pic.twitter.com/nuvFkgF1vV
— England (@England) October 15, 2023
Team News & Tactics
England
The Three Lions will be without Reece James, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka, and Ben Chilwell. Saka is ruled out with a thigh injury. The other three are long-term absentees. England are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal.
Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier will be deployed as the full-backs here. Trippier is versatile enough to operate on either flank, and he is likely to start here in the absence of a specialist left-back. Both players will look to protect the central defenders and help out going forward.
John Stones is set to return here, and the Manchester City defender will start alongside Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Trent Alexander-Arnold is likely to be deployed in the midfield once again. The Liverpool star will help out defensively and create goalscoring opportunities with his line breaking passes.
Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham will start in the midfield as well. Bellingham will look to continue his impressive goal-scoring form and create opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Harry Kane will lead the line for England with Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Bellingham; Foden, Kane, Rashford
Italy
The visitors have a number of injury problems getting into this game. Federico Chiesa has pulled out of the squad with an injury, and he will join the likes of Ginaluca Scamacca, Ciro Immobile, Ivan Provedel and Mattia Zaccagni on the sidelines.
The likes of Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo have withdrawn in the wake of recent gambling allegations. Meanwhile, Italy are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation as well.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will start in goal behind a back four of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Gianluca Mancini, Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco. Lorenzo and Dimarco will look to set up counter-attacking opportunities apart from their defensive responsibilities.
Davide Frattesi and Manuel Locatelli will start in the middle of the park. The two players will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Nicolo Barella is likely to start here as well and he will look to add creativity and control to the midfield. Giacomo Raspadori will lead the line for Italy here with Domenico Berardi and Moise Kean on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Barella, Locatelli, Frattesi; Berardi, Raspadori, Kean
Key Stats
- England have not lost any of their last seven games across all competitions.
- When playing at home, England have not conceded a goal so far in 2023.
- Four of the last six matches between these two sides of ended in a draw after normal time.
- Italy are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against England.
- England have scored 16 goals in five UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers so far.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
Harry Kane back on home soil after a positive start with Bayern Munich 🔴 pic.twitter.com/searp3WKwz
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 10, 2023
The 30-year-old has been in fine form since moving to the Bundesliga. He has scored eight goals and picked up four assists in seven league matches for his new club, and the England international will look to make his mark in this game as well.
Chances will be at a premium against the Italian defence, and England will need someone who can convert the opportunities. Harry Kane is our player to watch out for tomorrow, and the 30-year-old could be the defining factor for the Three Lions.
Prediction
England 2-1 Italy
Both teams are quite evenly matched, and this is likely to be a close contest. However, England have more attacking quality at their disposal, and they should be able to find a way past the Italian resistance.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are in exceptional form, and with players like Trent Alexander-Arnold creating goalscoring opportunities behind them, England should be able to edge this one. A narrow 2-1 home win is on the cards here.