Following their failure to qualify for the Uefa Nations League finals, Italy take on the USA in a friendly on Tuesday evening.
The Italians go into the game off the back of a 0-0 draw with Portugal which, while sealing their place in Group A for the next edition of the Nations League, meant they were unable to qualify for next year’s finals. The USA come into the game on terrible form, having won just four of their last 14 internationals and losing 3-0 to England last time out.
Read on for Italy vs USA live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.
When is Italy vs USA?
Competition: Friendly
Venue: Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium
Date: Tuesday, 20 November
Kick-off: 7.45 PM GMT
Match preview
Italy’s game against the USA, held in Genk, Belgium, presents a chance for the four-time World Cup winners to end a dismal 2018 on a slightly lighter note.
The Azzurri have suffered a massive fall from grace, sitting out Russia 2018 after failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1958, winning just two of their 10 games in 2018 and falling as low as 21st in the Fifa World Rankings.
For the USA, it hasn’t been much better. They too had to watch Russia 2018 unfold without them having failed to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1986, winning just three of their 10 games in this calendar year.
Both managers will be craving a result in this game to give their fans something to smile about, as well as to relieve some of the mounting pressure on the shoulders of Roberto Mancini.
Where can I watch live?
Italy vs USA will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Football, channel 403 on Sky and channel 503 for Virgin Media users.
The game is also available to watch on fuboTV for US-based viewers.
Can Roberto Mancini’s youth experiment turn it around for Italy?
Following the sacking of Gian Piero Ventura in November 2017, and a short spell under caretaker manager Luigi Di Biagio, Roberto Mancini was appointed as Italy manager in May 2018.
The 53-year-old has one hell of a managerial CV, winning league titles with Inter Milan and Manchester City, as well as further honours with Fiorentina, Lazio and Galatasaray in the past. Mancini was supposed to be the one to turn it around for Italy, stabilising them and turning them back into the footballing superpower we all know they can be.
That, however, has not been the case and Italian fans are already beginning to question the pragmatic methods of Mancini and his failure to get the best out of his star players. Going into this friendly with the USA, Mancini has sent a number of his senior players home. Giorgio Chiellini, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Jorginho and Alessandro Florenzi have all gone back home to train with their clubs, and the likes of Sandro Tonali and Roberto Gagliardini look set to come in as Mancini experiments with his options.
Can the USA’s exciting youngsters put them back on the map?
The USA haven’t had the best of years, that is obvious. However, there is a very big silver lining for the Stars and Stripes – they have a side full of young, exciting talent that is only going to get better.
Spearheaded by Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic, the USA have a crop of fledgeling stars that could really move the team to a new level and blow away the memory of that failed World Cup qualification.
READ MORE: The 10 US wonderkids to watch
Tyler Adams has been fantastic in MLS for New York Red Bulls this season, helping them to go deep into the playoffs, while the likes of Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah and Josh Sargent are killing it around Europe.
Watching their development over the next few years is going to be very interesting.
Why are Italy and the USA so bad at scoring goals?
Despite having a long-standing reputation as the defensive side in world football, when you think of Italy you cannot help but think of their brilliant attackers. The likes of Roberto Baggio, Filippo Inzaghi and Christian Vieri (to name a few) have dazzled us in the past with their brilliance and proficiency in front of goal.
In 2018, however, the Italians have scored just eight goals in 10 games. Many fans are now blaming Roberto Mancini’s pragmatism and painfully slow style of play for their lack of chances and goals, with the former City manager being far too reactive with his changes rather than proactive.
The USA have fared slightly better with 10 goals in 10, slightly. The USA’s problem is that with Josh Sargent still only being 18, they are very reliant on Christian Pulisic to provide their goals. The only other centre-forward in their latest squad is Hannover’s Bobby Wood, who has a respectable 13 goals in 44 games, and until Sargent gains a little more experience, the USA will need to share the goals around to stay competitive.
Head-to-head
Tuesday’s game will be the 12th meeting between Italy and the USA in total. The Azzurri have been the dominant force in this fixture, winning seven of those games, while the USA have only beaten their European foes on one occasion, a 1-0 win in a friendly in 2012. The other three games have ended in draws.
Italy wins: 7 Draws: 3 USA wins: 1
Team news
Roberto Mancini has sent home many senior members of his squad, including the likes of Jorginho, Immobile and Chiellini, and is likely to name a very experimental line-up, full of youth.
This is understandable, given the schedule some of these players have for their clubs and the fact that this is a friendly, and will give Mancini a chance to blood the next generation and take a look at some players that could inject some energy to his side in the future. Lorenzo Pellegrini is also out with a bruised leg.
(Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
For the USA, Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie has returned to Germany for treatment on a hamstring injury, while Fulham midfielder Luca de la Torre has remained in England to train with Claudio Ranieri’s side after the 3-0 Wembley defeat to England.
Predicted Italy XI: Donnarumma; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Acerbi, Biraghi; Gagliardini, Verratti, Tonali; Grifo, Pavoletti, Berardi.
Predicted USA XI: Guzan; Yedlin, Miazga, Brooks, Villafana; Pulisic, Trapp, Adams, Green; Weah, Sargent.
Squawka prediction
Under normal circumstances, it would be hard to back anything other than an Italian win. The USA have never been mugs, in recent years at least, but Italy have had some fantastic sides over the years.
At the moment, however, they’re really struggling, while the USA are transitioning between managers and a fresh batch of young players. It’ll be close, with goals at a premium. 1-1 draw.
Predictions and betting tips
1. Under 2.5 goals YES @ 4/5
As previously mentioned, both sides have really struggled for goals in 2018. Italy haven’t scored more than once in a game since their 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia back in May, seven games ago. Meanwhile, the USA have only managed more than one goal in a game once in their last seven fixtures, a 4-2 defeat to Colombia. Don’t expect a goal-fest in this one.
Tip: Italy vs USA to have under 2.5 goals YES @ 4/5 with BetBull – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (19/11/2018, 19:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
2. Italy 1-1 USA @ 11/2
Neither side has looked convincing in 2018 and with experimental line-ups and substitutions almost guaranteed in a friendly, it would be foolish of us to expect a free-flowing, end-to-end affair as well. These two teams are absolute experts at scoring one goal in a game, if they’re lucky, so back the both to do it again here as they play out a stalemate.
Tip: Italy vs USA to finish 1-1 @ 11/2 with BetBull – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (19/11/2018, 19:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
3. Goal scored in both halves NO @ 10/11
We’re expecting this to be a tight, 1-1 draw. We’re also expecting most of the action to come in the first half.
International friendlies are notorious for having a raft of half-time and second-half substitutions that are supposed to give experience to young players from the bench. In reality, they ruin the flow of the game and cause it to fizzle out into a damp squib.
Couple that with the fact that we have two sides struggling for goals and you have a potent mix for a quiet second half.
Tip: Italy vs USA to have a goal in each half NO @ 10/11 with BetBull – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (19/11/2018, 19:30)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
Search squawkagaming on BetBull to follow all our tips for Italy vs USA and more.
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