Preview: Italy vs Austria
In a thrilling Round of 16 clash at Wembley Stadium, unbeaten Italy, with their fresh leg rotation and attacking prowess, face a historic Austrian side eager to continue their European adventure for the first time in knockout stages at Euro 2020.
Italy
Italy defeated ten-men Wales and strolled into the last sixteen, remaining unbeaten in 30 international appearances. Finishing at the top of Group A, the Azzurri secured three clean sheets and maximum points with three wins.
Having already qualified for the next round by the end of Match Day 2, Roberto Mancini made eight changes to his squad for the game against Wales. He retained only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is completing a transfer to PSG, with Leonardo Bonucci and Jorginho also keeping their places.
It was all Italy from the start, keeping Welsh goalkeeper Danny Ward busy throughout the first half. Italy's Matteo Pessina eventually broke the deadlock in the 39th minute with a clever touch on Marco Verratti’s free-kick that found the far corner.
Italy could have doubled their lead, but Bernardeschi's free-kick hit the woodwork before Wales' Ethan Ampadu was shown a red card for a reckless challenge. Gareth Bale came close to equalizing but sent his volley over the crossbar, keeping the scoreline at 1-0 until the final whistle.
Now on a six-game winning streak, Italy looks to advance past Austria into the quarter-finals. After resting eight players on Match Day 3, Mancini will have plenty of fresh legs available, likely in a 4-3-3 formation, replacing the front three of Chiesa, Belotti, and Bernardeschi with Insigne, Immobile, and Berardi.
Austria
Austria finished in second place in Group C, securing 6 points with 2 wins, 0 draws, and 1 loss. On Match Day 3, they defeated Ukraine 1-0 to finish behind group leaders, the Netherlands.
Marko Arnautovic returned to the starting line-up after serving a suspension for a racially charged insult in the 3-1 win over North Macedonia on Match Day 1. Early in the game, Marcel Sabitzer sent a volley over the crossbar and into the crowd, missing a good opportunity.
Austria's decisive moment came when David Alaba delivered an inch-perfect corner, allowing Christoph Baumgartner to score with a well-executed finish in the 21st minute. Ukraine's Andriy Yarmolenko missed a rebound opportunity, and later, Arnautovic missed a chance to extend Austria's lead.
The match ended 1-0 in favor of Austria, marking their historic qualification to the knockout stage of a major European competition. Coach Franco Foda is expected to employ a 4-3-3 formation against Italy on Saturday.
The team has won two of their last six games across all competitions, with a form record of LLDWLW.
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.