Top spot in Euro 2016 Group E is all settled with one game to spare. Italy won the group after back-to-back wins, and will head to its final group game against the Republic of Ireland with basically nothing left to play for. The same cannot be said of the Irish, who must beat the Azzurri in order to stand a chance of qualifying for the next round.
Get a better sense of how this Group E matchup plays out with our preview below. Meanwhile, check out our preview of Wednesday’s other Group E game, Belgium vs. Sweden.
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The Italian’s job is done. After claiming two wins in their first two group games, the Azzurri have clinched top spot in the group regardless of the outcome of their final group game against Ireland.
Manager Antonio Conte now has the luxury of resting as many of his key players as possible. Rest will be more crucial than ever now that they have been paired up with reigning champions Spain in the round of 16. That likely means his Juventus-based defense – goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, along with defenders Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini – will all get the game off.
But despite wholesale changes, the fiery Conte will not stand for any complacency from his team. A second-string Italy should still have the edge in talent over Ireland, and those players will be eager to stake their claim for a starting spot against Spain.
The likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Stephan El Shaarawy, who have yet to feature in the tournament, should provide Italy with a cutting edge in attack. The two are coming off very good seasons in Serie A, with El Shaarawy scoring eight goals in 15 appearances for Roma, and Insigne racking up 12 goals and 10 assists for runners-up Napoli.
The Irish were a little unlucky in that they faced a fired up Belgium team which was all ready to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Italy. The Irish stood little chance, and were easily routed 3-0.
However, they will have the good fortune of facing an Italy team with essentially nothing to play for, which could reduce the Azzurri’s edge. The Irish are in desperate need of a win in order to go through, and that should give them the advantage in terms of drive and motivation.
They are a hard-working team as it is, but with their tournament lives on the line, they should be willing to run that little bit harder and tackle that little bit stronger.
Effort can only get the Irish so far, though. They still have that glaring lack of quality in front of goal, which prevented them from getting the win despite dominating against Sweden. Hard-working forward Jonathan Walters, who missed the Belgium game due to an Achilles injury, is still a major doubt to return against Italy.
There’s also the danger that Ireland might lose its discipline to go in search of goals, which would leave its plodding backline exposed to Italy’s more talented forwards.
Writer’s Prediction
Ireland doesn’t have enough firepower to beat a second-string Italian team. The two play out a 1-1 draw (+200).
