Italy and the Republic of Ireland will do battle this Thursday morning inside Lille’s Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The Azzurri have secured two wins from two outings so far at Euro 2016 meaning their spot in the knockout stages and atop Group E is secure, the Irish, however, will need a win to have any chance of qualification to the next phase.
Key Battle – Simone Zaza vs John O’Shea
Juventus forward Simone Zaza will look to make an impression on Antonio Conte as he gets his first start at a major tournament for Italy. Zaza proved quite valuable throughout the season, playing off the bench in Turin and scoring many important goals, even helping Italy to beat Sweden in the Azzurri’s most previous match when headering the ball on to Inter Milan’s Eder to finish superbly for the winner. Zaza’s ability to contribute from the start will be the real test in this fixture, up against veteran defender John O’Shea, who will need to be at his best against an Italian side that can have goalscoring contributors from just about any position on the field.
READ MORE: Euro 2016 – Three Key Talking Points – Republic of Ireland vs Italy
Team News
It has been mentioned throughout the week that Conte will rest up to nine players from the team that lined-up against Sweden, with Andrea Barzagli and Alessandro Florenzi remaining the only starters. The newly appointed Chelsea boss will hand tournament debuts to Lorenzo Insigne, Stephen El Shaarawy, Angelo Ogbonna, Salvatore Sirigu and Federico Bernadeschi – while also starting Simone Zaza, Thiago Motta and Stefano Sturaro.
A key concern for the Irish will be the fitness of forward Jonathan Walters. The Stoke City player did take part in training on Monday, however, it is still unknown just what role he will play after missing his sides crucial clash with Belgium.
Head-to-head
The two sides have met on 14 separate occasions, with the Irish winning only twice and drawing three times. The Italians have recorded nine wins.
Previous Meeting
Their most recent encounter came at the 2012 edition of the Euro’s where Italy won 2-0 against Giovanni Trapattoni’s side. Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli scored the goals.
Prediction
With so much rotation in the Italian lineup and the Irish desperate for a win, it is difficult to predict a winner. As we have seen in the past though with Antonio Conte’s squads, rarely do they show signs of complacency and there will be players in the Italian team fighting for a starting position. The Irish need a win if they are to be any chance of progressing to the next round and the rotated Italian team represents a big opportunity for them to knock off a European giant at a major tournament. Expect Italy’s defence to remain strong though and the Azzurri to pick up the win.
Italy 2 Republic of Ireland 0
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our interactive Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
