Italy v England
Tuesday March 31, 19:45 BST
Live on ITV 1
Tuesday March 31, 19:45 BST
Live on ITV 1
Both Italy and England are on a rebuilding mission following theirdisappointing exits from the World Cup after both departed from the same group. The Italians at least won the match between
the pair but that would have been of scant consolation for the four times winners.
Antonio Conte's side haven't exactly fired in the European Championship Qualifiers either as they sit second behind Croatia, even though they are still unbeaten. The pressure is now on the former Juventus manager to deliver and he will see this as a match he can't afford to lose, despite it only being a friendly.
England have done much better in their Euro group, albeit against lesser opposition. The Three Lions are clear at the top thanks to five successive wins, and that includes a trip to Switzerland. This is another step up though and it will be interesting to see if they revert back to the poor form they showed in Brazil last summer.
Roy Hodgson has a decision to make in terms of personnel - especially in the forward areas. His starting trio of Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling all played well and scored at Wembley on Friday, but man of the moment, Harry Kane, came off the bench and netted within seconds of his debut.
Sterling definitely won't be playing having been allowed to travel back to Merseyside, but with Hodgson confirming that Kane will definitely start against the Italians, he either has to move Rooney from the central striking role or change formation.
The odds are roughly what you'd expect as the Italians are slight favourites given home advantage. I quite like the draw as it's a difficult match to call and it's the outsider of the three. It would also suit both managers as they won't have been beaten and can point to the fact that a draw isn't too bad a result against the respective opposition.
It's also worth noting that these two nations have met three times in the last couple of years or so, with one ending in a draw and the others being a slender victory to either side.
This is the market that appeals to me most though as I think over 2.5 goals is cracking value at 2.50. England have racked up 18 goals in their last half dozen outings and Harry Kane is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe at the moment. Four of their last five have sailed clear of the over 2.5 goal threshold and while Italy's scorelines have been a bit more conservative, their match on Saturday saw four goals scored.
The Italians drew 2-2 in Bulgaria only three days ago and that scoreline is currently available to back at 20.00. As England are much better going forward than they are at the back, I think we could be in for something similar. There is a good chance it could trade much shorter in running, therefore offering us a profitable cash out opportunity.
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