A huge game lies ahead as Italy take on North Macedonia in a battle for World Cup qualification.
The Italians will be shocked to find themselves in this position. The Euro 2020 winners were strong favourites to advance as comfortable group winners but fumbled the top spot to Switzerland in the final game by drawing with Northern Ireland.
The way that the draw lies - means that we won't see one of either Italy or Portugal at the World Cup, which is so strange considering the enormity and footballing history of both sides.
Italy's opponents, North Macedonia aren't to be ruled out of this one, who have earned their right to compete for World Cup qualification. They finished second in what was a tricky group with Germany, Romania, Armenia and Iceland.
We should be in for a great match. Here's everything you need to know regarding Italy vs North Macedonia.
Date
Italy vs North Macedonia will take place on Thursday 22nd March 2022 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. The match will kick off at 7:45 pm GMT.
How To Watch
Football fans will be over the moon to hear that this World Cup qualifier will be televised live on Sky Sports, specifically Sky Go Extra and Sky Sports Arena.
Live Stream
If you are looking to live stream this World Cup qualifier, you can do so via the Sky Sports streaming service or with your NOW TV subscription. A day pass is available for £9.99
You need to have an account or a day pass to access the live stream, so make sure you have everything you need prior to kick-off.
Team News
Both nations have named their squads for the match and starting XI’s will be confirmed just before kickoff.
Italy Squad:
Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Davide Calabria (Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Luiz Felipe (Lazio), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Luca Pellegrini (Juventus), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolò Fagioli (Cremonese), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Samuele Ricci (Empoli), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Sandro Tonali (Milan);
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Adana Demirspor), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Joao Pedro (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma).
North Macedonia Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dimitrievski (Rayo Vallecano), Siskovski (Doxa), Naumovski (Shkupi)
Defenders: S Ristovski (Dinamo Zagreb), Velkovski (Rijeka), Musliu (Ingolstadt), Ristevski (AEL Limassol), Alioski (Al-Ahli), Ashkovski (Sepsi), Serafimov (Zalaegerzeg)
Midfielders: Ademi (Dinamo Zagreb), Elmas (Napoli), Bardhi (Levante), Spirovski (MKT), Kostadinov (Piast), Atanasov (Hajduk Split), Rakip (Malmö), Nikolov (Sheriff Tiraspol), Babunski (Debrecen)
Forwards: Jahovi (Gestepe), M Ristovski (Spartak Trnava), Miovski (MKT), Churlinov (Schalke 04), Trajkovski (Al-Fahja), Ethemi (Istanbulspor), Babunski (Debrecen)
Some real shocks in the Italian side there, with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Federico Chiesa both being left out by Roberto Mancini.
Even more shockingly, Mario Balotelli returns to the Italy squad for the first time since 2018!
Head To Head
Italy – 1
Draw – 1
North Macedonia – 0
Odds
Here are the odds that are being offered by various bookmakers to win the game outright:
Italy – 1/6
Draw – 13/2
North Macedonia – 12/1
Prediction: Italy 3 – 0 North Macedonia
Although North Macedonia have proven they can hold their own on the European stage, this is the EURO 2021 holders were talking about. Italy's slick, efficient style of play should play the Macedonians off the park. We think they'll run out comfortable winners and advance to the final qualification round.
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