Gareth Southgate will revert back to his strongest squad for this match against Italy, after fielding an altered line-up against Australia. Kieran Trippier will come into replace injured left-back Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell while Kyle Walker will remain as cover on either side of defence.
Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold should all feature for England midfielders against Germany on Wednesday, as is Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips who could feature. In this article, we will discuss the main points of England National Football Team vs Italy National Football Team Lineups.
England XI National Football Team
England’s line-up remains relatively unchanged from previous games. Gareth Southgate has used a back three in all but one game this year and the results speak for themselves; his three defenders are all comfortable with handling the ball, possess excellent distribution skills and can play at pace; they should provide an effective counter against Italy’s speedy frontline.
That means Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Pickford, and Ezri Konsa keep their positions. Kieran Trippier will play left back despite recent struggles while Luke Shaw may replace Trippier at right-back – not an ideal solution but given how well these defenders have worked together before it should prove enough.
Midfield will remain unchanged with Declan Rice and Joao Moutinho continuing their excellent performances – Rice being widely lauded for his off-ball movement while Moutinho lauded for his reading of games and displacement of opponents being particularly noteworthy assets. Together they will add balance to a midfield trio including Joey Barton and Jordan Henderson.
Carsley may make changes as necessary; that may be true here as players drop out and newcomers come in.
Multiple celebrities have been added to the lineup, such as England cricket icon Stuart Broad and Gladiators star Sam Thompson hoping to gain their first caps; football legends Joe Cole, Theo Walcott and Jill Scott all will make an appearance; plus boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and Strictly Come Dancing host Bobby Brazier will share the iconic Stamford Bridge turf together.
Italy XI National Football Team
One of the primary factors behind Italy’s rise as an iconic team that unifies a nation and delights emigrants who wear its shirt is due to the Azzurri’s success at keeping its unifying role alive. Their history boasts some iconic World Cup performers who have become integral parts of Italian football; here is a look back at some of them.
Any who have witnessed Italy compete at international levels will know they rely heavily on their defensive line, especially their full backs, to provide width and depth. Italy will look to keep a clean sheet against Belgium; an effective option could be Matteo Gabbia at right back – who also covers left back. Raoul Bellanova from Juventus could potentially play as centre back.
Paolo Maldini played both left back and centre back at four World Cups for Italy, and was an integral member of their defence. A master at reading the game with great engine, always willing to battle, Paolo Maldini also excelled at clearing and distributing, which are essential qualities in modern teams.
Though he did not win the Golden Ball, he was an integral member of their 2006 team. He led an exceptional backline that kept five clean sheets throughout the tournament; plus his scoring prowess made him unique.
He belonged to an outstanding generation of Italian central midfielders that included Salvatore Schillaci and Giancarlo Antognoni. Bagni could tackle, pass, play with flair, score goals and organize games effortlessly; his presence was instrumental in Italy winning three Serie A titles under Fabio Capello. Together with Antognoni and Schillaci he earned the nickname of ‘Il Muro di Berlin’ after his strong performances at World Cup tournaments; an unquestionable legend of Italian football history!
England Subs
Two years after their thrilling European final, England and Italy are back at Wembley as they open Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Gareth Southgate made no substantial changes to his side which defeated Australia last time out; therefore he may choose the same starting eleven once more for this matchup.
The Three Lions are locked in a fierce competition against Italy to finish first in Group C alongside Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia and secure an automatic spot at next summer’s tournament in Germany.
Luciano Spalletti is expected to make eight changes from his team that defeated Malta 4-0 on Saturday night in Bari. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nicolo Barella and Domenico Berardi should retain their positions while Federico Chiesa and Ciro Immobile of Juventus may miss out due to injuries.
Italy will benefit greatly from the return of Roma duo Jorginho and Marco Verratti. Italy were undefeated in their Nations League group stage matches with two victories and a draw.
As England are without their injured forward Bukayo Saka, they may need to turn to Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden as a starting duo at centre forward to fill in for him; something they did successfully against Scotland at Hampden Park earlier this month in their friendly win.
Southgate will have access to several players who were bench players during England’s victory against Australia, such as Liverpool full-backs Kieran Trippier and Lewis Dunk, Chelsea defenders Gary Cahill and Kieran Gibbs-White as well as Leicester City Levi Colwill and West Ham Jordan Henderson as potential starting lineup options while Arsenal winger Danny Welbeck may also feature prominently.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney will look to extend his England appearances after their World Cup exploits; other than him, no other players from outside England’s initial squad will feature this time around. Additionally, England have several young reserves who could receive their first senior caps – Destiny Udogie from Ipswich Town duo Chiedozie Ogbene and Jude Bellingham are in line for debuts for England this time round.
Italy Subs
Gareth Southgate left an incredible legacy by leading England to the semifinals of the 2024 European Championship, and interim manager Lee Carsley has already made some bold choices during his two matches as interim manager. Beginning with two 2-0 wins against Ireland and Finland respectively, Carsley made some fascinating selections for Saturday’s Nations League clash against Italy; Jack Grealish has been named to start alongside Levi Colwill making his international debut and Trent Alexander-Arnold being chosen on right side defense.
One key decision will be whether or not Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah starts in the center of attack. This could be a crucial match for 24-year-old, who has battled for playing time at club level despite stardom at Euro 20. Mohamed Salah made headlines as the star performer but has much more to prove against Ireland in Dublin.
Italy have won their opening two Nations League matches without conceding a goal, and will look to keep their run going when they host Israel on Monday. Luciano Spalletti may make one change from his team that defeated France and Israel, with Lorenzo Pellegrini set for suspension; Atalanta forward Nicolo Zaniolo will come in support Mateo Retegui.
The Azzurri are currently leading their group and are only four points clear of Switzerland, who have also won both of their opening two matches. Switzerland are missing several key players such as Omri Gandelman, Samuele Ricci and Miguel Vitor as well as midfielder Shawn Goldberg in order to try and overtake Italy in terms of standings.
Italy are without Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne due to injury, so Spalletti has chosen to test out some young players like Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes in senior duty for the first time – with veteran players Marcin awiak and Nicola Zappia missing from his starting eleven that will face England. His hope will be that his young stars can rise to the occasion against an experienced yet well-organized England side.
Also Read: Sri lanka national cricket team vs bangladesh national cricket team match scorecard