Greece vs Italy
First meets second in the Euro 2020 qualifying Group J on Saturday, as Roberto Mancini takes his rapidly improving Italy to meet Greece.
The Olympic Stadium in Athens will play host to this top of the group clash and the hosts’ head coach Angelos Anastasiadis knows his side must be at its very best to stay with their visitors. Italy is a side on the up, with four wins from five, scoring ten goals without reply. The 2006 World Champions are climbing out of the doldrums which saw them dramatically miss out on qualification for Russia 2018.
Well, the Euro 2020 betting markets will be keeping a close eye on this one, as the Azzurri could make it three wins from three, but they’ll have to inflict a first defeat of the campaign on Greece.
Talking Points
Italian influence in Greece defence
If Anastasiadis is to plot a halt to Italy’s march then he will need to stop the Azzurri’s front men from getting a hold on the match. And he does have an uncompromising centre back pairing. Big defender Sokratis has had a mixed first season at Arsenal, as the Gunners’ defence leaked too many goals in a failed Premier League top four bid. But while fans held their breath at some of his challenges, there were few strikers happy to be at the end of one of his crunching tackles.
The Arsenal man will probably pair up with Kostas Manolas, well known to the Azzurri after an impressive season at the back for Roma. These two are the most experienced players in the hosts’ team and they will have to lead from the back.
Up front, Anastasiadis is likely to pair up attacking midfielder Kostas Fortounis with Efthimis Koulouris and they know exactly what to expect from an Azzurri defence.
Free-scoring Italy
…no, that’s not a joke!
Italy is famous for its rock-like defence but it’s the Azzurri attackers who have been making the headlines since the disappointment of missing out in the summer.
36-year-old Fabio Quagliarella has had an outstanding season for Sampdoria, finishing as the Serie A leading scorer with 26 goals while making an impressive eight assists. And he is likely to get the nod from Mancini, but there is a queue of talented front men vying for the second spot.
Andrea Belotti has overcome a difficult period with a strong finish to his Serie A season at Torino, eventually notching 15 goals, but Lazio’s Ciro Immobile, league top scorer in 2018, could take that second striking place. Quagliarella already has two goals in the campaign, but then so has young Moise Kean, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Juventus, making the most of his chance presented by an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Roma winger Stephan El Shaarawy could challenge Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne for a place, but if he starts on the bench his time will surely come soon, having scored 11 in Serie A this season.
History
My SBOBET tips aren’t about to predict a Greek Tragedy for Roberto Mancini’s resurgent Italy but, for all the Azzurri’s improvement, it won’t be a walk in the park at the Olympic Stadium. The only previous meeting was a 1-1 drawback in 2008 when Luca Toni and Theofanis Gekas were the scorers.
Recent form is very much in the visitors’ favour, unbeaten in six and on a run of three consecutive wins, while Greece has won two, drawn one and lost three of the last six, losing to Turkey last time out.
But a win would take the hosts top of the group, having already beaten Lichtenstein and earning a valuable point in a 2-2 away draw to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most likely another side in the group to challenge.
Betting Tip
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Greece vs Italy | Italy 1X2 @ 1.93 |
| June 9, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
I just can’t see the hosts springing a surprise though. They will have to defend like heroes and somehow try to break down Italy’s own legendary rearguard to even earn a point, which is priced at 3.05.
A Greece win at 3.65 isn’t entirely out of the question, but I think the Azzurri’s superior quality and competition for places gives Mancini far more choice than his counterpart.
0-1 is the overwhelmingly favourite scoreline at 4.40 and that makes a lot of sense, but don’t be surprised to see the Azzurri bag a couple.
It promises to be one of several fascinating clashes in this week’s qualifiers and we’ll be right there with all the latest Euro 2020 news as it happens.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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