England is set to face Italy in Naples, hoping to avenge their defeat in the 2020 Euro final. The Italians won on penalties and claimed the silverware at the previous tournament. Since Gareth Southgate took the hot seat, Roberto Mancini’s side has had England’s number. The two sides have met twice since the Euro 2020 final, with a draw and another Italy win in the Nations League. The Three Lions haven’t beaten the Azzurris in a competitive game since the 1977 World Cup. However, Italy is in a somewhat strange position, having not even featured at the World Cup.
Luckily for Roberto Mancini, he managed to keep his job. England boss Gareth Southgate will be hoping to see a reaction from his players after yet more big competition disappointment. The Three Lions were in Qatar in winter but were knocked out by eventual defeated finalists France in the quarter-finals. So it’s a game where both teams really have something to prove.
Italy vs England will take place on Thursday, March 23, and kick-off is at 7:45 pm UK time. Diego Armando Maradona will play host. The match will be shown live on Channel 4, and coverage starts at 7 pm UK time. Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the action from Naples by following SunSport’s live blog.
You can live stream Italy vs England for free via the All 4 website, providing you have a valid TV license. Streaming is also available via the All 4 app, which is available to download for free on your mobile or tablet device.
Federico Chiesa will be desperate to prove his fitness and start against England. Harry Kane will be England’s star man and will be desperate to forget all about his skied penalty that saw England tumble out of the World Cup.
Roberto Mancini’s squad includes some familiar names from Premier League clubs and many that featured in the Euro 2020 final against England. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Wladimiro Falcone, Alex Meret, and Marco Carnesecchi are the goalkeepers. The defenders are Francesco Acerbi, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Buongiorno, Matteo Darmian, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Alessio Romagnoli, Giorgio Scalvini, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Rafael Toloi. The midfielders are Nicolò Barella, Bryan Cristante, Davide Frattesi, Jorginho, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Matteo Pessina, Sandro Tonali, and Marco Verratti. The forwards are Domenico Berardi, Federico Chiesa, Wilfried Gnonto, Vincenzo Grifo, Simone Pafundi, Matteo Politano, Mateo Retegui, and Gianluca Scamacca.
Gareth Southgate named his 25-man squad last week for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine. But the Three Lions were dealt some big injury blows when Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, and Nick Pope pulled out with injury. Tottenham keeper Fraser Forster came in for Pope, but the other two weren’t replaced. The goalkeepers are Jordan Pickford, Fraser Forster, and Aaron Ramsdale. The defenders are Ben Chilwell, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, and Kyle Walker. The midfielders are Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Kalvin Phillips, and Declan Rice. The forwards are Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Ivan Toney.
Italy is the favorite with odds of 15/8 while England has odds of 27/20. A draw has odds of 19/10. It’s tricky to know exactly how both teams will line up in the qualifying opener. The heart says England gets off to a flier and triumphs, but the head thinks the Italians just seem to always get the upper hand. So we’re going to go for a 1-1 draw.