Italy National Football Team

Manager / Roberto Mancini
Appointed / May 2018
Captain / Giorgio Chiellini
Top Scorer in Euro 2020 Qualifiers / Andrea Belotti, 5
Top Scorer in Squad (Domestic season 2020-21) / Ciro Immobile, 20 (Lazio, Serie A)
Most Carded in qualifying / Marco Verratti, 3
Group / A, vs Turkey (11/06/2021), vs. Switzerland (16/06/2021), vs. Wales (20/06/2021)

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

Italy Road to Euro 2020

Italy absolutely strolled to the Euros in what wasn’t the most difficult qualifying group (Finland, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Liechtenstein), though that isn’t to be sniffed at after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Roberto Mancini’s men won all 10 of their qualifiers and are currently 26 games unbeaten, 27 should they avoid defeat in their final warm-up game against Czech Republic. Only Belgium scored more than the 37 goals Italy bagged in Group J, as the Azzurri handed out pastings to Liechtenstein and Armenia en route to their perfect 30-point haul. They don’t have a consistent scorer, with Andrea Belotti topping their scoring charts in qualification with just four goals, though he was joined by 18 other Italians who scored for Mancini’s men in qualifying.

Italy Euro 2020 Squad

Mancini’s squad is full of talent with the vast majority of his selections plying their trade in Italy’s Serie A. It is an inexperienced group however, with the failure to qualify to the previous World Cup meaning very few of their 26-man squad have any major tournament experience. That shouldn’t hinder them too much, as the youthful and vibrant squad aren’t hampered by past failures with the likes of Nicolo Barella and Federico Chiesa keen to make a name for themselves on the continental stage this summer.

Goalkeeper

The out of contract Gianluigi Donnarumma will take the number one jersey, and Mancini will hope that the 22-year-old’s club future won’t affect his nation’s hopes. Donnarumma is being courted by some of Europe’s biggest names having let his AC Milan contract run-down, and he’s had a fine season in Serie A with rumours of his next club rumbling on in the background, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him lose focus here at the Euros. Alex Meret and Salvatore Sirigu (one of few with major tournament experience in the squad) will fight it out to be the first called upon if needed. Cagliari’s Alessio Cragno can feel hard done by to have been cut from Mancini’s original 35-man squad after a fine season despite his side’s lowly finish.

Defence

The elder statesmen of the team will likely comprise the centre of the Italian back four, with Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci still first-choice despite them entering the Autumn of their careers. Neither were quite nailed on starters for Juventus but as captain and vice-captain and favourites of Mancini, they should start ahead of Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi. Arguably the weakest area of the squad, Italy’s full-back pool isn’t ideal, though in Alessandro Florenzi, Emerson, Leonardo Spinazzola and Giovanni Di Lorenzo they do have four players who are more than capable on their day.

Midfield

Key to the way Mancini sets his side up to play attractive football, Marco Verratti and Jorginho will play as two thirds of a midfield three designed to dominate games in a way that isn’t always associated with the national team. Barella, fresh of playing an integral role in Inter’s Serie A win, will comprise the final midfield spot, and will be the one tasked with getting closest to the front three. Italy have a good amount of depth in their midfield, but it will almost certainly be the trio of Verratti, Joginho and Barella that’s relied upon in the crucial moments.

Attack

Mancini had the habit during qualification of alternating between one of two central strikers to lead the line, flip-flopping between Belotti and Ciro Immobile. Neither made the number nine jersey their own despite good records at club level, with the duo combining to score over 85 Serie A goals in the past two seasons. Immobile should be given the most chances to impress at the tournament but Belotti will be waiting on the bench for his opportunity to shine. The wide berths are a little more set in stone, with Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa expected to be Mancini’s set of wingers. Both are slap bang in form with Chiesa being more important to Juventus than Ronaldo was in the final stages of the season and Insigne ending the season on 19 goals. There will be good options off the bench but the front three should have enough quality to steer through Group A with relative ease, but it will be interesting to see how Italy do against stiffer opposition.

Italy predicted line-up vs. Turkey: Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Chiellini, Spinazzola; Barella, Verratti, Jorginho; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne (4-3-3).

Italy Euro 2020 Betting Tips & Predictions

Italy should be able to have qualification through to the Round of 16 and top spot in Group A sewn up after their opening two games, which could be good news for Wales, particularly if Italy do rotate in the final game of the group. Although it’s not the chunkiest of prices, Italy to top the group at 1.5 is interesting, especially with all three of their games taking place in the Italian capital of Rome.

I’m also pretty happy backing them to get through the Round of 16, even if they face The Netherlands which on paper looks a tricky tie. I do think they’ll come unstuck against, likely, Belgium in the Quarter Finals though. Belgium may not have quite enough to go all the way but they are a nation with probably more talent and certainly more big-match experience than this Italy team, so at 3.3 I’m more than happy to back Italy to fall at the Quarter Final stage.

Despite smashing in the goals for fun in qualifying, they don’t have a reliable goalscorer like a lot of the bigger nations at the Euros. Though ruthless for Lazio, Immobile is not quite able to match his domestic scoring stats in the same way the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe are. This does leave the door open for one of the longer odds selections to scoop the top scoring Italian at Euro 2020. The name that looks most attractive to me is Insigne (5.0). He’s coming off his finest Serie A scoring season and is a key component in the Italy front line, even more so than Immobile, Chiesa and Belotti. Belotti at 5.5 is interesting and could be good value if he gets a run, I just don’t fancy the risk of him playing second-fiddle to Immobile over the tournament.

Predicted stage of elimination: Quarter Finals

How to watch Italy v Switzerland in Euro 2020

📅   When / Wednesday, 16 June 2021, 20:00 BST
🏟   Where / Stadio Olimpico (Rome)
📺   TV / ITV, STV, ARD
📱   Online streaming / bet365