The road to Germany for Euro 2024 starts here as England take on Qatar World Cup absentees Italy, in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final.
It has not been two years since the Three Lions were beaten cruelly on penalties in their first final since 1966, but England manager Gareth Southgate has his eyes firmly set on Euro 2024.
In Qatar, England managed to reach back to back quarter-finals, the first time they have achieved that since 1990, but England will have came away from that competition with a bitter taste and question what could have been, after Harry Kane skied a penalty to level the game against France. France progressed after beating England 2-1.
They travel to Naples to face an Italy side who had a long break over the winter, as the reigning Euro winners failed to qualify for the World Cup after defeat to Macedonia in the play-off round.
But they are a team full of international pedigree and Southgate would not have been pleased to see his side drawn into the same group as the Azzurri.
This could be the first of a string of face-offs between England and Italy, with the possibility of an Anglo-Italian final in all three of the UEFA club competitions, with clubs from both countries dominating the latter stages of the tournaments.
Team News
Roberto Mancini has called upon experienced heads and fresh faces in his 30-man squad for the qualifiers against England and Malta.
Leonardo Bonucci, who equalised for Italy in the Euro 2020 final, is selected again despite the veteran edging into the closing years of a fine career. Bonucci is included alongside national team regulars Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
There was first call-ups for Tigre striker Mateo Retegui, goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone, and Torino centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno.
Federico Chiesa had to depart the Italian camp after suffering an injury, Emerson Palmieri and Marco Carnesecchi have replaced Federico Dimarco and Ivan Provedel. In a spate of rotation in the Italian squad.
Similarly to Italy, England have had a trio of players pull out of the squad with injury, as the in-form Marcus Rashford, Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, and Newcastle United stalwart Nick Pope return to their clubs.
Chelsea full-back pair Ben Chilwell and Reece James returned to Southgate's squad after missing the World Cup through injury. Ivan Toney was also included in the England squad despite the uncertainty surrounding his gambling allegations.
Raheem Sterling, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Ben White were notable absentees from the World Cup squad.
Likely Line-ups
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Acerbi, Bonucci, Spinazzola, Barella, Verratti, Jorginho; Grifo, Berardi, Gnonto.
Pickford; James, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Henderson, Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Foden.
Key Players
Domenico Berardi (Italy)
The Italian winger goes completely under the radar in Serie A. Berardi consistently puts up good numbers in the Italian leagues but is never looked at by one of the top European clubs.
The Sassuolo winger's six goals and five assists this season is relatively underwhelming compared to his 15 goals and 14 assists last season. In his last four seasons in Italy, Berardi has notched 52 goals 36 assists.
Without his wingman in Ciro Immobile, who he as shared the Italian frontline with in the past few years, the winger will need to step up and take on some of the attacking burden.
Bukayo Saka (England)
Bukayo Saka is quickly developing into England's best and most important player alongside Harry Kane. The speed of his development over the past couple of years has been astonishing, as he has moved through the ranks at Arsenal, burst on the scene, and is now one of the first names on the England teamsheet.
If England are to win a major tournament over the next ten years, it feels like Saka would have a massive role to play in that. The strength to bounce back from his penalty miss in the Euro 2020 final to now be shining in the Premier League and sitting top of the tree with Arsenal shows a lot of character.
Match Details
Where will the match be played?
The match will be played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy.
When will the match be played?
The match will be played at 19:45 on Thursday, March 23, 2023.
How can you watch the match?
In the UK, the match will be live to watch on Channel 4 and on their streaming service All4. Full highlights will be available to view after the final whistle across their social media platforms.
