Italy vs England: Nations League betting preview with odds and prediction

England take on Italy in the UEFA Nations League at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan on Friday evening.

After an enthralling start to the new Premier League and European campaign, football now turns its focus to the international stage as England continue their preparations for the 2022 World Cup later this year.

Gareth Southgate’s side will be heading to Qatar as one of the pre-tournament favourites after reaching the latter stages of the two previous international competitions. However, England are currently struggling in the Nations League.

The Three Lions are sitting bottom of League A Group 3 having taken just two points from their four matches so far.  A shock 1-0 defeat to Hungary in June was followed by a hard fought 1-1 draw in Germany. England were then held to a 0-0 draw by Italy before being thrashed 4-0 by Hungary at Wembley leaving them with just two points.

Southgate knows defeat to Italy on Friday will likely see England relegated to League B in the Nations League, which would be a big blow ahead of the World Cup finals.

Italy on the other hand head into the game third in the table on five points from their four matches. Victory in Milan would ensure they finish above England and put the pressure on leaders Germany and Hungary.

Betting odds

There is expected to be a lot of interest in the betting markets for this game so bookmakers will be vying for your business. It’s important to select a reputable betting site and you can check out a NetBet review before placing any bets on this match.

Despite their poor recent form, England are the narrow  31/20 favourites with the bookies to win in Milan. Italy are priced at 9/5 to claim all three points while the draw is available at odds of 21/10.

The two sides drew in the reverse fixture at Wembley and they’ve drawn each of the last four meetings, so we’re expecting another tight game on Friday. A 1-1 draw looks good at odds of 5/1.

Harry Kane is always the danger-man whenever he plays and the Tottenham Hotspur hitman is 7/2 to open the scoring in this game. If we back Kane to score first in a 1-1 draw then we’ll get odds of 32/1.

Under 2.5 match goals looks like a solid bet at 13/20 while both teams to score in a draw is also tempting at 16/5.

Team news

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has been added to the England squad after recovering from a knock. Jurgen Klopp is happy for his captain to build his fitness and get some important minutes under his belt while away on international duty.

Southgate could hand Ivan Toney his debut after rewarding the Brentford striker his first call-up following his impressive start to the season. Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is the man to miss out as he was overlooked by Southgate on this occasion.

Tottenham’s Eric Dier has also been brought back into the England set-up with Arsenal’s Ben White missing out despite his good form for his club this season.

Prediction

The pressure is on England to get the win they need to avoid being relegated to League B, however, I think Southgate’s priority will be to continue his preparations for the World Cup. In that respect, the performance will be just as important as the final result.

These two sides have played out four draws in their recent meetings and it’s hard to predict a winner on this occasion either. Therefore, we’re sitting on the fence and backing a draw in Milan. Italy 1-1 England