The Euro 2020 final evokes some traumatic memories for England fans after Roberto Mancini nonchalantly carried the trophy home and Wembley went into meltdown.
However, a lot has changed since that fateful night, with Mancini subsequently tempted away by the lure of *checks notes* Saudi Arabia, after failing to even qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Luciano Spalletti jumped on the last train out of Naples, after ending their barren Scudetto-less run in 2023, with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis oddly unhappy at them winning the league by a country mile.
Spalletti has been unable to inject his trademark feistiness into this Italy squad, and they avoided a qualification playoff by the thinness of a lasagna sheet, with a tough group on the horizon in Germany.
MANAGER: Luciano Spalletti
CAPTAIN: PSG’s gigantic net minder Gianluigi Donnarumma will be the leader of Spalletti’s Italy this summer.
STAR PLAYER: It’s difficult to pick out one name in a squad of capable but slightly limited operators. Nicolo Barella comes into the tournament on the back of being the heartbeat of Inter Milan’s title winning midfield and offers something extra from the engine room.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Italy finished six points behind England in their qualifying group and it was only their head-to-head record over Ukraine that saw them over the line in second place.
HOW WILL THEY DO: Group B has been framed up as a ‘Group of Death’ with Albania an unknown quantity alongside heavyweights Spain and Croatia. La Roja are favourites to win the group, and if Croatia produce another gritty display, Italy might need the safety net of a best third place spot.
BEST BET: Despite winning Euro 2020, Italy’s recent tournament record includes two World Cup absences and two group stage exits, albeit with their Euros showing being slightly better. Spain fell at the last 16 hurdle as holders in 2016 and Portugal followed that up in 2020 and Italy could fare even worse.
ITALY’s EURO 2024 FIXTURES & SCHEDULE
Group B
Saturday, Jun 15: Italy v Albania, 8pm (Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund)
Thursday, Jun 20: Spain v Italy 8pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
Monday, Jun 24: Croatia v Italy 8pm (Leipzig Arena, Leipzig)
ITALY’S EURO 2024 SQUAD
Spalletti has confirmed an initial 30-man provisional panel and he will confirm his final squad ahead of the June 6 deadline.
- GOALKEEPERS: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Guglielmo Vicario, Ivan Provedel.
- DEFENDERS:Alessandro Bastoni, Raoul Bellanova, Alessandro Buongiorno, Riccardo Calafiori, Andrea Cambiaso, Matteo Darmian, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Gianluca Mancini, Federico Gatti.
- MIDFIELDERS: Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Davide Frattesi, Samuele Ricci, Nicolo Fagioli, Michael Folorunsho.
- FORWARDS: Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Mateo Retegui, Mattia Zaccagni.
Read More on Euro 2024
- Score your latest football betting tips at Paddy Power News
- When does Euro 2024 start? Date and kick-off time for first game in Germany
- Euro 2024 fixtures, groups and schedule for this summer’s big tournament
- Euro 2024 Golden Boot odds: Who is the favourite to be the top scorer?
- Predicted England Euro 2024 squad and Paddy Power odds for 23-man group
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