MX23RW : Wednesday, March 24 18:45:46| >> :120:9701:9701:
Oct 14, 2020 at 7.45pm UK at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
ItalyItaly
1-1
NetherlandsNetherlands
Pellegrini (16')
Verratti (23'), D'Ambrosio (80'), Kean (90+3')
FT(HT: 1-1)

Preview: Italy vs. Netherlands - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's UEFA Nations League clash between Italy and the Netherlands, including team news and predicted lineups.

Heavyweight nations Italy and the Netherlands will be looking to put goalless draws behind them when they meet in the UEFA Nations League in Bergamo on Wednesday evening.

Italy were held by Poland and the Netherlands played out a stalemate with Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving Group A1 wide open at the midway stage.


Match preview

Sunday's bore draw with Bosnia means that Frank de Boer is still awaiting his first victory since succeeding Ronald Koeman as Netherlands head coach.

De Boer kicked off his reign with a disappointing 1-0 friendly defeat to Mexico last week, and the display in Zenica four days later was not much better.

The Oranje are now winless in three games without scoring, with Luuk de Jong coming closest to changing that against Bosnia by forcing Ibrahim Sehic into a fine save.

The Netherlands did beat Poland 1-0 in their opening Group A1 game in September, however, giving them four points from their opening three matches.

That is one point fewer than Italy, who top the standings despite a stalemate of their own on Sunday.

Italy's Stephan El Shaarawy celebrates scoring against Moldova in an international friendly on October 7, 2020© Reuters

Federico Chiesa had Italy's best chance of the match in Gdansk, firing wide from close range in a game of few clear-cut opportunities at either end.

The Azzurri's blunt attacking display was in stark contrast to four days prior when putting six unanswered goals past minnows Moldova in a friendly match.

Roberto Mancini's side have now drawn two and won one of their three Group A1 matches, while overall their unbeaten run spans spans 18 matches since September 2018.

Italy have the better overall record in previous meetings with the Netherlands, too, winning nine and losing three of their past 22 encounters.

Indeed, the Dutch are without a victory in six meetings with Italy since a 3-0 win in their opening fixture at Euro 2008.

Italy Nations League form: DWD
Italy form (all competitions): WWDWWD

Netherlands Nations League form: WLD
Netherlands form (all competitions): DWWLLD


Team News

Netherlands's Steven Bergwijn celebrates scoring against Poland in the UEFA Nations League on September 4, 2020© Reuters

Memphis Depay missed the Bosnia draw through suspension but is back in contention here and will likely lead the line in place of De Jong.

Georginio Wijnaldum was the only midfield player to retain his place in the side between the loss to Mexico and draw with Bosnia, but it is unlikely that he will be given a rest.

After being brought on as a second-half sub in Zenica, Steven Berghuis will be pushing for inclusion out wide on Wednesday.

As for Italy, Mancini made seven changes last time out, with Andrea Belotti, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Chiesa coming into the side.

Ciro Immobile was surprisingly kept on the bench, perhaps with one eye on this match with the Netherlands, while defender Giorgio Chiellini is another who is pushing for a recall.

Stephan El Shaarawy is battling with Pellegrini and Chiesa for a starting spot out wide, assuming Mancini sticks with his favoured 4-3-3 setup.

Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Chiellini, Biraghi; Verratti, Jorginho, Barella; Chiesa, Immobile, El Shaarawy

Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Blind; De Roon, De Jong, Wijnaldum; Berghuis, Depay, Promes


SM words green background

We say: Italy 2-1 Netherlands

De Boer told his players to "look at themselves in the mirror" following Sunday's stalemate with Bosnia, which saw his side go a third game without scoring.

Italy also fired a blank last time out but have otherwise netted freely of late and enter this game unbeaten in 18 - a run which we can see them extending with a big win in midweek.


Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Under 3.5:data

ID:418095: cacheID:418095:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8278:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?
France's Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring against Ukraine in an international friendly on October 7, 2020
Read Next:
International roundup: Olivier Giroud passes Michel Platini's goalscoring record for France
>
Latest Sports Video

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City30225364214371
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd29169456322457
3Leicester CityLeicester29175753322156
4Chelsea29149644251951
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham29147845351049
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs29146949301948
7Liverpool29137948361246
8Everton28144104037346
9Arsenal29126114032842
10Aston Villa28125113930941
11Leeds UnitedLeeds29123144547-239
12Crystal Palace29107123147-1637
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2998122838-1035
14Southampton2996143651-1533
15Burnley2989122237-1533
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton29711113236-432
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2977152848-2028
18Fulham30511142338-1526
19West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2939172057-3718
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2942231650-3414

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!