Preview: Italy vs. Ukraine – Team news and prediction

Italy hasn't had the best start to the qualification for the Euro, and they are already under pressure before tonight's match where they preferably need to secure 3 points. At the very least, they must avoid a loss, as Ukraine could start pulling ahead. It seems that England has secured the top spot, so it will be a battle between Italy and Ukraine for the 2nd place and a spot in the Euro.

Italy has 4 points after 3 matches, starting with a defeat to England (1-2), followed by a 2-0 victory over Malta before a somewhat disappointing draw against North Macedonia in their most recent match. Luciano Spalletti was appointed as the new Italian manager in July and is still looking for his first win. He didn't have the best start with the draw against North Macedonia, so there is already pressure from the outside ahead of tonight's game.

Ukraine has accumulated 7 points after 4 matches. They secured two straightforward victories against North Macedonia and Malta while managing a draw and a loss against England. With the matches against England behind them, Ukraine's fate is now in their own hands as they have two games against Italy remaining. If they can secure points in tonight's match, their prospects start looking promising before they regroup in October for the next international break.

Italy form in all competitions: 
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Ukraine form in all competitions: 
DLDWWD

Italy is not at its former strength when they were a strong tournament team that consistently went far in competitions. Missing out on the World Cup was a significant setback, and there is immense pressure to qualify for the Euro. Italy simply cannot afford to miss another major tournament given its historical pedigree. This places enormous pressure on Spalletti and the Italian players, and it's clear that this pressure is affecting their performance on the field.

Team news: 
Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Gianluca Mancini, and attacker Matteo Politano have all sustained injuries during the national team's camp and will not be available for tonight's match. Spalletti has called up Bologna player Riccardo Orsolini as a replacement.

Nikolai Matvienko and Mykhaylo Mudryk are both doubtful for the match as they picked up minor injuries against England. However, it is expected that Mudryk will be ready for the game, but he needs to undergo a pre-match test. Sergiy Kryvstov from Inter Miami is expected to replace Matvienko in central defense, otherwise, the same starting eleven is expected.

Italy expected lineup: 
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Scalvini, Bastoni, Dimarco; Barella, Cristante, Tonali; Zaniolo, Zaccagni, Immobile

Ukraine expected lineup:
Bushchan; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Kryvstov, Mykolenko; Tsgankov, Stepanenko, Sudakov, Zinchenko, Mudryk; Yaremchuk

Prediction: 
There is immense pressure from the fans and the country ahead of this match, as Italy preferably needs to win to get back into the group. The team didn't look particularly strong offensively against North Macedonia, and Ukraine is not known as the most goal-scoring team either. Therefore, we don't anticipate a high-scoring game, as there is simply too much at stake. Expect a tactical affair. However, we believe that Italy has enough quality to defeat Ukraine, but it may not necessarily be by a large margin. Our prediction, therefore, is an Italy win combined with under 2.5 goals, with odds at 3.40.