Italy, the current Euro champions, will face Group B Albania in the competition at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. After a setback in qualifying for the World Cup, Italy excelled in the UEFA Nations League, winning a tough group with Germany, England, and Hungary. They finished 3rd in the Playoffs and barely 2nd in the EURO Qualifiers. Despite lacking big stars, Italy is still among the favorites to win the title, with odds around 15.5 behind teams like England, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Albania’s second appearance in EURO, in 2016, was impressive in the EURO Qualifiers, but bookies have placed them as the least likely team to win the title, with odds set at around 500.

Italy has performed better in the EURO Qualifiers, winning two games against Ecuador and Venezuela, while Albania lost against Chile and Sweden without scoring a goal. Albania’s dominant home performance has been key to their success, but they are not as good away from home. The game will be played on a neutral pitch in Germany, but their road games have been disastrous, with only one win in 11 games in all competitions. Italy has won every meeting with these teams, twice by two or more goals. A big win for Italy would be a massive surprise.

Domenico Berardi, a crucial player for Italy’s squad, has been ruled out due to injury, a significant issue for the nation’s lack of strong offensive players. Sandro Tonali is also unavailable due to betting rule violations.

The team’s first goalkeeper, Etrit Berisha, is uncertain due to injuries, with Thomas Strakosha as the first choice. Myrto Uzuni, a talented offensive player, will miss EURO due to an ACL injury.

Predicted lineups:

Italy

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Defenders: Giovanni Di Lorenzo Federico Dimarco, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni
Midfielders: Bryan Cristante, Nicolo Barella, Jorginho
Forwards: Mateo Retegui, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Federico Chiesa

Albania

Goalkeeper: Thomas Strakosha
Defenders: Mario Mitaj, Elseid Hysaj, Berat Djimsiti, Ardian Ismajli
Midfielders: Nedim Bajrami, Ylber Ramadani, Kristjan Asllani
Forwards: Jasir Asani, Taulant Seferi, Sokol Cikalleshi

• Italy – 4 wins
• Albania – — wins
• Draws – —

Over all competition record

Italy is expected to secure a 2-0 victory against Albania, who may struggle with scoring, despite the possibility of a clean sheet.

Winning probability:

Italy – 66%

Draw – 10%

Albania – 24%

Visit FB88 to check both teams’ statistics, pre-match and live betting odds as well as instant live scores so you enjoy the best online betting experience with us.