England-Italy is a match valid for the round of 16 of the Under-20 World Cup and is played on Wednesday at 23:00: tv, formations, predictions.
With the group stage over, in the Under-20 World Cup being played in Argentina it is time for the inside or outside matches. Carmine Nunziata’s Italy will play for access to the quarter-finals where they will find the winner of the challenge between Colombia and Slovakia, against the fearsome England, one of the favourites to win the tournament. Needless to say, the challenge against the selection of the Three Lions can never be trivial, at any level.
The Azzurri will take the field in La Plata, in a stadium named after a legend like Diego Armando Maradona. They qualified for the knockout phase in a particularly tough group, in which Brazil and Nigeria were also drawn. Italy first achieved a historic victory against the greenoro national team (3-2) thanks to a brace by what is so far the best player of Nunziata’s troop, Cesare Casadei. The product of Inter’s youth academy, last summer sold to Chelsea for 15 million euros, is making the difference. After scoring two goals in his debut match, he scored two more on the last day of the group stage against the Dominican Republic, who were beaten 3-0. In between, however, there was the defeat against the Nigerians – which cost them first place – who got the better of a disappointing Italy 2-0. It was not a clean sweep for the English either, who after getting the better of Tunisia and Uruguay drew 0-0 against Iraq, albeit with qualification already secured.
England, led by coach Ian Foster, are dreaming of another title six years after the last one, and are approaching the match with the Azzurri on the back of 10 consecutive positive results. Italy’s positive streak was also long (7) before falling to Nigeria.
Foster
The Prediction
England, at Under-20 national team level, has never lost to Italy. In fact, it has always won whenever it has faced the Azzurri. The national team of the Three Lions will be favourites this time as well, but Nunziata’s selection can count on a great amount of talent – Casadei, Baldanzi and Pafundi above all – and could create quite a few difficulties for the English. Both should be able to score at least one goal.
England vs Italy line-ups
- INGHILTERRA (3-4-3): Cox; Quansah, Edwards, Humphreys; Oyegoke, Gyabi, Scott, Vale; Devine, Scarlett, Joseph.
- ITALY (4-3-1-2): Desplanches; Turicchia, Ghilardi, Guarino, Giovane; Faticanti, Prati, Casadei; Baldanzi; Pafundi, Ambrosino.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
