Euro 2024 - Italy to begin European title defense against Albania.
Italy will kick off their Euro 2024 title defense with an intriguing Group B clash against underdogs Albania, as the Azzurri aim to become only the second team to win back-to-back championships.
Italy
Italy will begin their title defense at Euro 2024 with a game against Albania. Despite winning all four of their previous meetings, this is the first time Italy will face the Red and Blacks in a major tournament.
The Italians are coming off a five-game unbeaten run (DWWDW), with a 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina being their most recent outing. Luciano Spalletti rated his team’s readiness between 70 and 80%, citing their lack of physicality as the final piece of the puzzle.
Italy conceded only one goal in those five games. On Saturday, they will be looking to bring their defensive qualities to bear when they face Albania in what will be their 11th appearance at the UEFA European Championship.
Having won the tournament twice (1968 & 2020), Italy will be hoping for successive titles in a bid to equal Germany and Spain on the record number of title victories (3). ‘Perhaps this is a slightly younger group, with fewer years on the pitch,’ Bryan Cristante said, comparing Italy’s 2020 winning squad to the present one at Euro 2024.
‘But this is a strong group with an equally strong coach. We are working well; we are preparing in the best possible way. We can't wait to get started. We want to do well,’ he added, hoping Italy becomes the second team to win successive European titles after Spain (2008 & 2012).
A 3—4—2—1 formation with Gianluca Scamacca in attack is expected for this fixture.
Albania
Albania, on the other hand, are underdogs in this encounter, with coach Sylvinho anticipating a difficult game. "An amazing match to start with, and … pffff … it’s going to be tough," he said ahead of Saturday’s clash.
"A great challenge, and we’ll try to do our best. The first game is going to be really important, but so are the others," he added during a lengthy pre-match press conference. Sylvinho, who was formerly an assistant at Inter alongside Roberto Mancini, has key players such as Thomas Strakosha from Brentford, Kristjan Asllani from Inter, and Chelsea's Armando Broja in his squad.
The Red and Blacks are coming off back-to-back victories, with their most recent success being a 3-1 win against Azerbaijan. They are hopeful of starting their campaign on a high note by causing what could be the biggest upset of Match Day 1 at Euro 2024.
A 4-2-3-1 formation with Sivasspor forward Rey Manaj in attack is anticipated for the game.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.