In a bid to secure his first victory as Italy boss, Luciano Spalletti will lead his team against Ukraine in Milan on Tuesday.
The Italian team, after a draw against North Macedonia in their first game under Spalletti’s leadership, is determined to claim all three points.
Ukraine is currently in second place in Group C, while Italy sits three points behind in third position, albeit with a game in hand.
After Roberto Mancini’s departure to become the head coach of Saudi Arabia, the Italian federation convinced Luciano Spalletti to end his self-imposed sabbatical.
Just four months after guiding Napoli to their first Serie A title in over three decades, Spalletti returned to the managerial dugout for Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia.
Italy had a chance for revenge against North Macedonia, the team that defeated them 1-0 in last year’s World Cup qualifying playoff. Ciro Immobile’s header in the 47th minute gave Italy the lead, but a late Enis Bardhi free-kick resulted in a draw for the Azzurri.
Although Italy has secured a playoff spot due to their third-place finish in the recent UEFA Nations League, they are eager to qualify directly for the European Championships. A victory against Ukraine would boost their chances of leapfrogging them into second position.
Italy’s previous home defeat in European Championship qualifying dates back to September 1999, emphasizing their success in front of their own supporters. Despite a loss to England in their last home game, Italy remains a formidable force at home.
Ukraine started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 loss to England but has since shown improvement, picking up seven points from their next three matches.
After consecutive victories over North Macedonia and Malta, Ukraine produced an impressive performance against England in Poland, securing a valuable point.
Although Ukraine has never defeated Italy in eight previous attempts, they will be aiming for at least a draw in Milan.
A victory would be a remarkable achievement, but a point would maintain their strong position in Group C as they aim to qualify for their fourth consecutive European Championships.
Team News:
Italy has been hit by injuries, with Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gianluca Mancini, and Matteo Politano all unavailable for the clash. Bologna’s Riccardo Orsolini has been called up as a replacement for Politano.
For Ukraine, Nikolai Matvienko is a doubt for the match after being forced off due to an injury issue against England. Sergiy Kryvstov may start in his place if he is unable to recover in time. Mykhaylo Mudryk is also a concern, but Ukraine hopes he will be fit to play.
Predicted Lineups:
Italy:
- Donnarumma
- Di Lorenzo
- Scalvini
- Bastoni
- Dimarco
- Barella
- Cristante
- Tonali
- Zaniolo
- Zaccagni
- Immobile
Ukraine:
- Bushchan
- Konoplya
- Zabarnyi
- Kryvstov
- Mykolenko
- Tsgankov
- Stepanenko
- Sudakov
- Zinchenko
- Mudryk
- Yaremchuk
Prediction:
We predict a 2-1 victory for Italy. Despite their disappointment in missing out on three points against North Macedonia, we believe Italy will be motivated to secure a win in front of their home crowd and make use of their home advantage.