England vs Italy (Nations League) - Predictions, Tips, Line-Ups & Odds

England welcome Italy to the Midlands on Saturday night, aiming to clock their first win of this Nations League campaign. Will the Three Lions avenge their defeat on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley last summer? Don't miss our England vs Italy predictions, best bets, team news and probable line-ups, enhanced odds and exclusive betting offers!

How to watch England v Italy 

England vs Italy is scheduled for a 7.45pm BST kick-off on Saturday, June 12, 2022.

The game will be played behind closed doors at the Molineaux in Wolverhampton, due to the crowd trouble before the Azzurri overcame Gareth Southgate’s men on penalties in the final at Wembley last summer.

The match will be televised on terrestrial television for free via Channel 4.

All 4 will show the match live on its website.

England vs Italy Betting Preview 

Only one point in the first two games for the European vice champions. England, in fact, suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat in Hungary in the first UEFA Nations League match (courtesy of a penalty scored by Dominic Szoboslai) and obtained a very late away draw against Germany, thanks to the penalty converted by Harry Kane two minutes from the final whistle. Clearly, after such a hectic season, the Three Lions looked tired and flat. Before the two Nations League matches, Gareth Southgate's recorded 7 wins and 2 draws in the 9 matches after the Euro 2021 final lost on penalties against Italy.

Italy started their rebuilding process in impressive fashion after the sensational failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. The Azzurri earned 4 points in the first two Nations League games, both at home, after recording a 1-1 draw against Germany and beating 2-1 Hungary (the team that had beaten England three days earlier). Head coach Roberto Mancini is using the tournament to introduce new players and has already handed out seven debuts in the space of three days. As to direct encounters, Italy have lost just two of the last 15 matches against England in all competitions. The last three meetings between these teams have ended in 1-1 draws.

Best Odds

England are 17/20 to win with STS.co.uk, with their odds actually drifting since opening the market. Italy's odds are shortening and the Azzurri are currently backable at 19/5 with Betfred. The draw is available at 13/5 with BetUK.

Probable Line-Ups

ENGLAND (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Stones, Trippier; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Grealish, Sterling; Kane.

Harry Kane should get the nod over Tammy Abraham for the lone striker role. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling are likely to start behind the Tottenham skipper, with West Ham's Jarrod Bowen a viable alternative. Phil Foden, in post-COVID convalescence, is a major doubt. In midfield, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice should feature from the off, with Mason Mount and Kalvin Phillips as back up options. Despite the criticism, Harry Maguire will start once again in defense. Alongside him, John Stones should be prefered to Conor Coady and Fikayo Tomori. Kieran Trippier and Reece James are favorites for the full-back roles. Alternatively,Gareth Southgate can rely upon Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker.

ITALY (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Spinazzola; Barella, Locatelli, Pellegrini; Politano, Scamacca, Raspadori.

Roberto Mancini is expected to ring the changes once more and could name a similar team to the one that drew against Germany. Gianluca Scamacca should start as forward, with Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori out wide. The youngsters Willy Gnonto and Alessio Zerbin are likely to play in the second half. In midfield, there will be a third consecutive starting game for Lorenzo Pellegrini, with Sandro Tonali and Niccolò Barella expected to start as well. At the back, Giovanni Di Lorenzo will return to the right while Leonardo Spinazzola is favored over Federico Dimarco for the role of left-back. At the heart of the back, Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini could be confirmed. However, the presence of Leonardi Bonucci or Francesco Acerbi is not excluded. The likes of Domenico Berardi, Nicolò Zaniolo, Andrea Pinamonti, Ciro Immobile, Marco Verratti, Lorenzo Insigne, Cristiano Biraghi and Federico Chiesa are out through injury.

England v Italy Predictions  

Gareth Southgate will choose his best XI while Italy will have very few players from the glorious night of Wembley last July. The Three Lions will have extra motivation to avenge that bloody loss and we believe they have an edge over the Azzurri, despite their improvements since a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina in the Cup of Champions few weeks ago. We recommend a narrow England victory. As to scorelines, we back England to win 1-0 or 2-1. Among the possible goalscorers, watch out for Bukayo Saka: the Arsenal winger was one of the players to miss a penalty in the Euro 2021 final.