Sunday 15/06/2014, 00:00, World Cup Group D, England vs Italy
England vs Italy Betting Preview
With Uruguay being credited with the first chance to advance to the next stage, England and Italy are very likely to compete for the second place. This is what makes this fixture so important and the European teams are fully aware of the magnitude of this fixture. The players traveling to Brazil need to make a good first impression and strikers will spend the most time in the spotlight during the group stage.
England vs Italy Betting Odds
England 3.00, Draw 3.00, Italy 2.50
England vs Italy Betting Tips
England suffered a humiliating exit at the last World Cup and the qualifying campaign for 2014 wasn't particularly impressive. The Three Lions had a hard time winning on the road and had to wait until the second to last round to be certain of their position in the qualifying group.
The strikers brought by Roy Hodgson are going to fight for a spot in the starting formation and except for Rooney, there are no locked-ins. The Manchester United striker is expected to spearhead the offensive and he will probably be joined by Sturridge who played a critical role for Liverpool. While his team failed to win the Premier League and suffered a late season meltdown, he scored plenty of goals.
The Italians are equally concerned about what happens in the opening game, because they have an aging team with a handful of youngsters in the attack. Balotelli, Destro and Insigne are all in their prime and two of them will start against England, while Cassano is likely to be kept on the bench.
Italy used to be a great defensive team but the backline and midfield has aged and the players are on average older than 30. It will be difficult for Prandelli to keep clean sheets in this group and he has no intention to settle for a draw in this fixture. If England gets lucky against Uruguay, they will have an insanely difficult mission in the last match of the group phase, trying to win against the South Americans.
Key Facts
- The two teams met a total of 24 times and Italy won 10 times, with just 6 games ending undecided.
- England won the last friendly game but lost to Italy at penalty shootouts at Euro 2012, in the quarterfinals
England vs Italy Betting Odds Prediction
England will seek to avenge the last defeat suffered to Italy in an official game, while improving their chances to survive the group stage. A draw can't be ruled out, but it is very unlikely for both teams to keep a clean sheet, so the best bet for this fixture is that at least 2 goals will be scored. Pinnacle Sports prices this outcome at 2.05 and if exactly two goals are scored, the stakes will be returned.
Bet: Over 2 goals @ 2.05 with Pinnacle Sports
