After Luciano Spalletti’s Italy won two games in a row in the UEFA Nations League against France and Israel in September, the Azzurri are back on the pitch and will face Belgium Thursday and Israel next Monday. After a disappointing summer, Italy seem to be back on track while Belgium are facing a transitional moment under Italian manager Domenico Tedesco. Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, October 10 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Stadio Olimpico – Rome, Italy
- Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Italy -110; Draw +250; Belgium +275
Team news
Italy: The Azzurri are now going through a new cycle as coach Spalletti called up some new faces in the team, such as Monza’s Daniel Maldini who will likely make his debut with the national team this week. Maldini will be the third person in his family to wear the Azzurri jersey, after his grandad Cesare, who was also the coach from 1996 to 1998, and his father Paolo, one of the most iconic legends of Italian soccer.
Possible Italy XI: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Bellanova, Barella, Ricci, Tonali, Dimarco; Raspadori, Retegui.
Belgium: The Red Devils will have to deal with the absences of Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli’s Romelu Lukaku who took a sabbatical year from the national team, and lastly Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois who decided to leave the national team after disagreements with the current head coach.
Possible Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Debast, Theate; Onana, Tielemans; Lukebakio, Trossard, Doku; Openda.
Prediction
Italy’s September games were very positive and it looks like the Azzurri are finally heading in the right direction. Pick: Italy 2, Belgium 1.
