Another absolute cracker is in store with this match which sees the reigning Euro Champions pitting their wits against an Albania side who are playing in only their second ever Euro tournament.
Italy finished in second place behind England in their Euro24 qualifying group whilst Albania have scored an impressive six goals in their last two matches.
Whether they can break down a stubborn Italian defence is a question that needs to be answered, and with Chelsea’s Armando Broja leading the line, who hasn’t experienced the most impressive season on loan at Fulham, they will certainly be up against it.
Odds and Predictions
Even though Albania have proved that they are capable of scoring, we don’t see them troubling an Italian side which is undergoing something of a transformation under the stewardship of the highly regarded Luciano Spalletti.
Our predictions have Italy down as a win at the very tight odds of 1.40 and with a scoreline of 2 – 0, which is widely available at 6.0.
To spice things up a little, we are also advising a small play on a bet builder with the following selections.
‘Italy to win’, ‘under 3 goals’, ‘over 7 corners’ and ‘Gianluca Scamacca to score at any time’.
This comes in with very tasty odds of 11.0 (please note that if Gianluca Scamacca doesn’t start the game the bet will stand but will consist of tips with 3 selections’)
Comparison and Statistics from Past Meetings Between the Teams
Italy and Albania have only played head to head four times, with Italy winning every match.
Here are the H2H details of the matches.
| Past Meetings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Nov 2022 | albania | 1-3 | italy | Friendly Game |
| 09 Oct 2017 | albania | 0-1 | italy | World Cup Qualifier |
| 24 Mar 2017 | italy | 2-0 | albania | World Cup Qualifier |
| 18 Nov 2014 | italy | 1-0 | albania | Friendly Game |
Expected Line Ups
You always know what to expect with an Italian team, patient play, short snappy passes and the ability to be lethal on the break, with this line-up, it looks like Italy are geared up to play in a way that will frustrate the Albanians.
As for Albania, many of their players are not exactly household names but this tournament definitely offers them the chance to show what they are all about.
Italy (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Federico Dimarco; Jorginho, Nicolo Barella, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Gianluca Scamacca, Lorenzo Insigne.
Albania (4-3-3): Etrit Berisha; Elseid Hysaj, Ardian Ismajli, Marash Kumbulla, Ermir Lenjani; Ylber Ramadani, Keidi Bare, Nedim Bajrami; Jasir Asani, Armando Broja, Myrto Uzuni.
How Far Will These Teams Progress in the Tournament?
You just never know with Italy, they could be knocked out in the group stages or they could go on and win the tournament, it all depends on which Italy decides to turn up.
We can see them finishing second behind Spain in Group B and then getting knocked out in the quarter finals.
As for Albania, we can’t see them getting past the group stages which is a shame but this group is so competitive with players of the opposing teams who are at the very top of their game.
