Football Predictions
Luciano Spalletti’s Italy has a chance to boost their qualification chances when they host Malta on Saturday.
Italy have a game in hand on group leaders England, ahead of a Wembley showdown and this is a game they must win if they are to get back to a major tournament after missing the last World Cup.
Malta are one of the weakest teams in Europe and the World, currently #171 on the FIFA World Ranking List. In the previous UEFA Nations League D, they finished second in group Estonia and San Marino. In Group C for EURO 2024, Malta still hasn’t won any points in five games and are the only team in the Group without a theoretical chance to qualify.
H2H / Stats
Recent Meetings;
26 Mar 23: Malta 0-2 Italy
03 Sep 15: Italy 1-0 Malta
13 Oct 14: Malta 0-1 Italy
26 Mar 13: Malta 0-2 Italy
11 Sep 12: Italy 2-0 Malta
Team News
Spalletti has a lengthy injury list to contend with, with Lorenzo Pellegrini, Ciro Immobile and Leonardo Spinazzola among the players missing for the home team. But Tottenham defender Destiny Odogie could feature after receiving a first senior call-up to the squad.
Malta have a largely home-based panel of players to pick from and head coach Michele Marcolini will surely opt for a defensive set-up. Midfielder Yannick Yankam is the only player to score for Malta in qualifying and he is set to start in Bari.
Probable Line-Up
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Scalvini, Bastoni, Udogie; Barella, Locatelli, Frattesi; Berardi, Rasparodri, Chiesa
Malta (3-5-2): Bonnello; Borg, Muscat, pepe; Mbong, Kristensen, Guillaumier, Camenzuli; Teuma, Yankam; Nwoko
Verdict
Spalletti will use this game as a testing ground for some players, as he puts together his plans for the England game. But there should be little issue in securing a win against a Malta team that has lost every competitive game they have played since June 2022.
Bet on Italy win✅
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Anytime goalscorer
Moise Kean❌
With striker Ciro Immobile out of Spalletti’s disposal this month, the goal burden might be placed on the shoulders of Moise Kean.
Spalletti is understood to have deployed Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori and Domenico Berardi as the attacking triumvirate in training this week, while Frattesi’s pivotal brace against Ukraine will benefit his chances of another start in the engine room.
Extra tips 👇
We’ve got more bold picks from different matches on this day with all of the permutations and possible outcomes in mind.
Below are the most popular fixtures from TopbetsKE with favourites indicated in bold and feature fixtures linked to our expert betting tips.
We also have Both Team To Score, Over 2.5 Market and a safe bet of Over 1.5.
1X2 Market
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BTTS
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Over 2.5
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Check out our Jackpot predictions.
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