European footballing powerhouses Italy and England are all set to renew hostilities when they square off in the opening match of their UEFA EURO 2024 Qualifiers campaign at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples on Friday.
The Group C encounter between these two footballing heavyweights who were finalists in UEFA EURO 2022 will begin at 1:15 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). England and Italy have been clubbed in Group C along with Malta, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
The Azzurri won the UEFA EURO 2022 final against the Three Lions via a penalty shootout. Italy also beat England at home and drew against them away in the UEFA Nations League last year. England, in fact, hasn’t managed a win against the Italians in 11 years.
Needless to say, England will be hoping for a more positive outcome when they face off against Italy on Friday as they look for a bright start to their UEFA EURO 2024 Qualifiers campaign.
Italy, though, will not be an easy opponent to overcome, especially considering the fact that they’ll be eager to make amends after missing out on qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Both teams lost their last games and have won three out of their last five matches. While England suffered a loss against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last time around, the Italians fell to a 0-2 defeat against Austria in a friendly in November.
As far as the head-to-head between the teams go, England has played Italy on 30 occasions in the past. They’ve won eight times and drawn nine times, while Italy has won 13 of these fixtures.
Friday’s encounter between these sides is likely to be a cagey affair going by their recent clashes that have seen four of the last five matches between Italy and England finish level after 90 minutes.
Both teams will be without a few key players for their UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers opener. While Italy will have to play without Federico Chiesa and Federico Dimarco due to injuries, England’s Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount also find themselves on the treatment table.
That said, both sides still have enough firepower in their arsenal to get the job done on Friday. Italy’s midfield trio of Marco Verratti, Jorginho, and Nicolo Barella are more than capable of dictating any match on their day, while England’s skipper Harry Kane along with game-changers like Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, makes the Three Lions capable of blowing away any opposition when at their best.
With an abundance of talent in both teams and two enterprising teams keen on a good start to their UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers campaign, expect a high-quality match with great entertainment for the neutral.
Where to watch Italy vs England UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers match live in India?
Live streaming of Italy vs England UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers will be available on the SonyLiv app and website.
Live telecast of Italy vs England UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers will be available on the Sony Sports 2 and Sony Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.
Italy vs England UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers squads
Italy
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Wladimiro Falcone, Alex Meret
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Buongiorno, Matteo Darmian, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessio Romagnoli, Giorgio Scalvini, Leonardo Spinazzola, Rafael Toloi;
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella, Bryan Cristante, Davide Frattesi, Jorginho, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Matteo Pessina, Sandro Tonali, Marco Verratti
Forwards: Domenico Berardi, Wilfried Gnonto, Vincenzo Grifo, Simone Pafundi, Matteo Politano, Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca
England
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice
Forwards: Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney
Photo Credit: Alamy
