Italy to overcome final test in Northern Ireland
Italy travel to Windsor Park in Belfast to face a stubborn Northern Ireland outfit in the final group game of UEFA qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Roberto Mancini's men missed the opportunity to put clear water between Switzerland and themselves in Rome at the weekend when Jorginho skied his penalty late on in that clash with the score at 1-1. Now, they must match their rivals' result, and even a win might not be enough if their rivals thrash Bulgaria... and the hosts aren't simply going to roll over on Monday night. Read our preview here:
Inspector Lewis
The Green and White Army prepared for their daunting match with a narrow 1-0 victory over Lithuania, which came courtesy of a Benas Satkus own goal in the 17th minute. Whilst Ian Baraclough's men had the better of their opponents through chances created, they far from dominated, and can certainly expect to go long spells without the ball on their own home turf on Monday. Key outlets will be the wing-backs in the 3-5-2, and both are have more defensive instructions for their country than they do for their respective clubs. Jamal Lewis' gametime for Newcastle United this season has been restricted to just six minutes in the Premier League, but might have a (temporary) reprieve under the new management of Eddie Howe. For Norn Iron, he is one of the most important individuals, and should come back in for Shane Ferguson. His tireless running will be put to the test by Giovanni Di Lorenzo at right-back, and he cannot find himself drawn in too many times by Federico Chiesa if he's to have the stamina and space to break forwards and relieve the inevitable sustained pressure. There are no injury concerns in the squad, so the rest of the XI should be very similar to the lineup that started at the weekend.
Emerson, begin again
Gli Azzurri need to relentlessly attack their opponents in order to maximise their prospects, and Mancini will instruct the full-backs to push forwards to join in as often as possible. Lorenzo Pellegrini remains on the sidelines and is joined by Gio Chiellini, so Emerson will have experienced Lazio stopper Francesco Acerbi alongside him, and that continued reassurance should give him the licence he needs to pin back Stuart Dallas. All the width will come from him and Di Lorenzo, and a fluid front three will need to dovetail well with each other to carve out pockets between the lines and beat any offside traps. Andrea Belotti will be persisted with up top centrally, despite looking rusty at the weekend.
Swiss rolled
There's no comparison between the two sides when it comes down to individual quality, but rarely in men's international football does that translate to wide margins in the end result. Northern Ireland are undergoing a transition period under a relatively new manager, but almost never give their opponents anything other than a difficult game. bet365 have odds of 5.50 for a 2-0 win for Italy that ought to see them qualify automatically on goal difference.
