\n| Game Time:<\/td>\n | 3:45pm ET \/ 12:45pm PT<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nItaly vs England Betting Analysis<\/h2>\nEuro 2024 qualification kicks off this week and the biggest game on the docket for Thursday\u2019s card sees the finalists from the last tournament go up against each other in the very first game in what should be a huge clash in Naples on Thursday.<\/p>\n Italy have gone through a range of emotions over the last couple of years in international football, from missing out on a World Cup 2018 spot, to then winning Euro 2020 outright, to then missing out on World Cup 2022 for a second straight time.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s manager Roberto Mancini has said he wants to dedicate this tournament run to his great friend and former strike partner Gianluca Vialli who helped guide Italy to their European success back in 2021, but has since sadly passed away due to pancreatic cancer.<\/p>\n Italy will honor his memory in this match with a pre-match stadium light show and special emblems on their shirts also in respect of the former great.<\/p>\n England meanwhile look to make one last run at a major tournament victory under boss Gareth Southgate as he stated previously that he came very close to leaving the post after their quarter-final exit to France in the World Cup.<\/p>\n He\u2019s since made some changes to the squad, most notably bringing in Brentford target-man Ivan Toney, who sits third in the EPL scoring charts this year with 16 goals.<\/p>\n Italy own a fantastic head-to-head record against England in international competition losing just once since 1977, with their last home loss coming all the way back in 1961 also.<\/p>\n Pressure Mounts on Southgate<\/h3>\nMore questions have been raised rather than answered in terms of Gareth Southgate\u2019s position as England manager, with a major decline in public confidence in him across recent tournaments.<\/p>\n An easy 2018 World Cup run that saw England reach the semi-finals of that competition was followed up by an even better final in Euro 2020, but in both cases, England were favored to win outright and hindsight suggests they really should have done better with those opportunities, especially with home advantage in the latter case.<\/p>\n A Nations League relegation followed that Euro 2020 final loss along with a quarter-final exit at the hands of France in last year\u2019s World Cup also.<\/p>\n So Euro 2024 represents potentially Southgate's last real chance at a major trophy before he exits his current post.<\/p>\n Italy Strong In European Qualifiers<\/h3>\nAfter missing out on the recent World Cup last November\/December, Italy will be relishing the chance to repeat their success of two years ago and lift the Euro Championship for a second straight time.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a distinct possibility also as Italy have been incredibly strong in European qualification, not having lost a game across any venue since 2006, and especially at home as well where they haven\u2019t lost to any opponent since 1999.<\/p>\n Italy vs England Expert Prediction<\/h2>\nDespite Italy\u2019s strong home record over recent years, England will be coming here to get a result on Thursday, and are arguably the more talented of the two squads from an individual-player basis as well, so an extremely tight game is expected in Naples this week.<\/p>\n With both teams heavily favored to finish 1-2 in the group respectively, a draw mightn't be out of the cards in this one either, especially with a total set at 2.25 off the back of two strong defenses.<\/p>\n Italy are ever consistent however, scoring exactly one goal in four of their last five head-to-heads against England in international competition, and that should continue on Thursday also in what\u2019s expected to be another tight encounter in Naples this week.<\/p>\n Take the Italy - Exact Team Total Goals - 1 at +110 on Thursday in their Euro 2024 qualification matchup against England in Naples.<\/p>\n Prediction: Italy - Exact Team Total Goals - 1 (+110)<\/strong><\/p>\nFor more free soccer picks, check out WagerTalk's free picks page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n |
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