Italy are set to take on Northern Ireland this evening as they look to kickstart their World Cup qualifying campaign with a win.
The Old Lady are expected to make up the core of the team, with Leo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini tipped to start the match according to TuttoSport and with Federico Chiesa likely to play a key role in the side also.
The latter has been a shining light throughout the campaign for Juve, and I would certainly not be shocked to see him put in another star-performance tonight at the Ennio Tardini Stadium.
Italy are unbeaten in their last 22 matches in all competitions at present, with their last loss coming against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal back in September 2018.
Form will count for very little once the European Championships begin come June, but you would expect us to retain our unbeaten run going into the tournament with trips to Bulgaria and Lithuania to follow in the next nine days being the only matches currently scheduled before the tournament.
Merih Demiral and Matthijs De Ligt will hopefully remain fit for the remainder of the season which could allow Andrea Pirlo to rotate his defenders in order to give Chiellini and Bonucci a little rest before the tournament with the duo likely to be instrumental for Italy this summer.
Would Pirlo have any considerations for the national team when picking his selections later in the season?
Patrick
