Italy vs England prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A betting tips on match 2022-09-22 18:45.
While a spot in the UEFA Nations League (UNL) finals remains a possibility for Italy should they win here, perhaps the main aim now for the Euro 2020 champions would be the three points they require from this game to secure their spot in UNL League A for the next edition. Unbeaten in five games against England, Italy hold the psychological edge over their visitors and should fancy their chances, especially after Roberto Mancini’s men pipped the Three Lions to the Euro crown a little over a year ago.
The euphoria of that Euro 2020 win quickly dissipated after a shock World Cup qualification exit against North Macedonia. That made Mancini’s decision to field a heavily rotated side in their 5-2 UNL drubbing at the hands of Germany last time out all the more surprising, and raises questions about how seriously they will take this game, even though they still have a chance to better their third place UNL finish of 2020/21.
England have a bronze UNL medal of their own after finishing in third place in the inaugural edition, but they are yet to win a game in the UNL this time around (D2, L2). Unlike their hosts, England will be off to Qatar in November, but after a humiliating 4-0 home defeat to Hungary in their last outing in June, there’s work to do in the meantime to appease a growingly frustrated English faithful.
You’d have to go back to 1966 for England’s last (and only) major honour, and with two near misses in the last two major tournaments and rumbles of discontent around Gareth Southgate’s squad selection, pressure is beginning to build on the England boss ahead of the World Cup. Southgate’s side must forget the World Cup for now though, as England know defeat here would see them relegated to League B, with even a victory not enough to keep them in finals contention.
Players to watch: Italy’s Wilfried Gnonto netted his first international goal in that 5-2 Germany defeat and has earned another call up here, while Harry Kane’s goal against Germany in June – England’s only goal in the 2022/23 UNL – was his 15th straight goalscoring game for England without defeat (W13, D2).
Hot stat: Only one of England’s last seven UNL outings has seen both teams score.