The 2022 World Cup qualification campaign starts for many nations on Thursday and among those are Italy and Northern Ireland, who meet in Parma.
Roberto Mancini’s side are fancied by some as having a good chance of going deep in the European Championships in the summer, with them being unbeaten in all competitive and friendly matches over the past two-and-a-half years.
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Northern Ireland, meanwhile, come into the game with just a single win in 90 minutes since September 2019 - though, they did also beat Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties last year. Despite those heroics, they will not feature at Euro 2020 after defeat to Slovakia in the play-off final.
Ian Baraclough’s side will know their hopes of reaching Qatar will more likely rest on results against the likes of Bulgaria and Switzerland - and claiming second place in the group for another play-off attempt - than against Italy, but a strong performance and even a shock point could go a long way toward helping them achieve that.
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Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.
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When is the match?
The game kicks off at 7:45pm on Thursday, 25 March.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Football. Subscribers can stream the match via the Sky Go app.
If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
What is the team news?
The Inter contingent of Nicolo Barella, Alessandro Bastoni and Stefano Sensi are unlikely to play after a Covid outbreak at the club. Lorenzo Pellegrini has a knock so could miss this game too.
For Northern Ireland, Conor Washington has pulled out of the squad with hamstring issues, with Shayne Lavery called up instead.
Predicted line-ups
ITA - Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Acerbi, Emerson; Verratti, Jorginho, Locatelli; Chiesa, Belotti, Insigne
NIR - Peacock-Farrell; Evans, Ballard, Cathcart; Dallas, McNair, Smith, McCann, Lewis; Magennis, Boyce
Odds
Italy - 1/6
Draw - 7/1
Northern Ireland - 25/1
Prediction
Dominance of possession for the hosts and a resolute defensive display for the visitors - but, ultimately, attacking quality will find a way through. Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland.
