The last few weeks were very crowded with league games, but the international break is finally here with some interesting matches. This is the rematch of the 2020 Euro Finals matchup between Italy and England. Both teams are huge favorites to qualify from this group and will clash in the first round.
Being the two heavyweights in group C, England and Italy should take the first two spots in the group and qualify for the final tournament. Italy didn’t lose to Engalnd for quite a period and would likely try to continue this series. For the Three Lions, it’s a chance to get some revenge, at least after the EURO 2020 lost final at Wembley in 2021, and to complicate the path of Azzurri to finals.
| Tournament: | 2024 EURO Qualifications, Group C, Round 1 |
| Venue: | Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy |
| Date: | 23 March 2023 |
| Time: | 7:45 p.m. GMT on Thursday |
According to the best bookies for football, Italy are the home underdogs at 2.70 (17/10). A draw is offered at 3.10 (21/10), while England are the slight away favorites at 2.50 (3/2) to beat the Azzurri.
The odds are quite close in this game, as they are the two favorites to win this group. England are slightly better, as they are at 1.90 (9/10) to grab the first place, while Italy are not so far behind at 2.25 (5/4).
The Azzurri played against England twice in the UEFA Nations League last year, they drew the first game 0-0, and Italy won the second game 1-0 at home. Giacomo Raspadori, the injured Italian star, scored the winner in that match. Italy have a very good squad, and they are capable of causing a lot of trouble for the Three Lions. The Italian team are in the UEFA Nations League Finals, and they have won the 2021 EURO tournament.
The Three Lions have been to the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals, but the French team crushed their title hopes. France beat England 2-1, with Olivier Giroud scoring the winner in this match. The English team had shocking results in the last UEFA Nations League after finishing last in group A3, also having Hungary and Germany aside Italy in that quartet. After this relegation to League B, Gareth Southgate needs to bounce back and get some wins in this tournament.
| Group C Teams | Standings | Matches Played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy* | 1st | 0 | 0 |
| England | 2nd | 0 | 0 |
| Ukraine | 3rd | 0 | 0 |
| North Macedonia | 4th | 0 | 0 |
| Malta | 5th | 0 | 0 |
The first two teams will qualify directly for the 2024 Euros. Italy can still qualify through the qualifying playoff round, even if they didn’t finish in the first two places, as they have been to the UEFA Nations League Finals.
The last time the Three Lions beat the Azzurri was in 2012. Italy have won three and drawn three games in the last six matches against England, with no losses. The most important win out of those was in 2021 when Italy beat England on penalties to win the Euro Finals.
Italy: LWWWL
England: LWWDW
This is a little safer bet than the England moneyline, as there have been a lot of draws between both teams lately. This is a revenge match for England after losing to Italy in the 2021 Euro Finals.
We will go with England with these football EURO odds. The Three Lions have a lot of players in great form, especially in the attack. Rashford, Saka, and Kane are having phenomenal seasons with their Premier League teams and should be big factors in their nation’s success here and now.
Matches between Italy and England are usually low-scoring ones. The game has gone under the total of goals in five straight matches between them. The last over between the Azzurri and the Three Lions was in 2014. Italy are known for their defensive style of play, as they have gone under the total in three of their last four matches in all competitions.
Bukayo Saka is having one of the best seasons of his career so far, being in the shade of only phenomenal Marcus Rashford with his 26 goals for Manchester United in all competitions. Gareth Southgate didn’t call Raheem Sterling for this international trip, while Marcus has some issues with health and won’t play in any of the March matches. In this regard, Saka gets a good opportunity to start this match with Foden and will surely be focused on the goal after missing a penalty against Italy in the 2021 Euro Finals. However, waiting for the lineups before placing this one is better.
Roberto Mancini, Italy’s coach, called his usual squad with very few surprises for these two games. Most of his players are traditionally from Serie A, with only a few names from other championships.
The Brentford talisman and Premier League third-best scorer, Ivan Toney, got called up for these two England matches after not featuring in the World Cup squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Raheem Sterling are two of the big names that Gareth Southgate didn’t pick this time. Rashford, Pope, and Mount are absent for this match after the fresh injury update.
The two favorites in this group will clash in the first game, and we will go with England in this first match in a low-scoring game. Make sure you use our Italy vs England 2023 predictions and bet them at the all popular legal betting sites to have more fun watching the game.
