Euros Qualifying: Malta vs Italy Prediction, Odds, and Pick (Mar 26)
- Italy play their second match in EURO qualification on Sunday, as they travel to Malta
- The hosts will be looking to cause a massive shock result
Italy will be favored alongside England to qualify in the top two positions in Group C. They will also be favorites in the betting to pick up victory in their second qualification fixture on Sunday against Malta.
Jump to:
The reigning European champions will be looking to earn qualification to defend their title in 2024. However, they will need a better qualifying campaign than they managed for the previous World Cup, as they failed to reach the finals in Qatar.
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, March 26, 2023, at 2:45 p.m ET
- Where: Ta’ Qali National Stadium, Malta
- How To Watch: FOX Sports
Odds
Game Preview
Qualifying has been somewhat of an Achilles heel for the Italian national side in previous years, as they have failed to reach each of the last two editions of the World Cup. However, they faced no such issues in reaching EURO 2020, as they won all ten qualifying matches, before avoiding defeat in all seven matches at the finals to win a second European title.
Roberto Mancini remains at the helm for the Italians, but they will be looking to hit the ground running in their opening two matches. Italy was last in action in November, as they were beaten 2-0 away from home by Austria.
READ MORE: UFC Fight Night: Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen Predictions, Odds, and Picks (Mar 25)
In truth, Malta is massive underdogs to reach the finals at EURO 2024, and they will instead be focused on avoiding finishing the bottom of the standings. Malta has never previously qualified for a major international tournament, and they have won just one match in their previous 30 EURO qualifiers.
Their record against Italy is also exceptionally weak, as they have lost each of the eight previous meetings. Italy has also won the previous four without conceding a goal, including a 1-0 success in this exact fixture in October 2014.
Prediction
This should be one of the more straightforward EURO qualifiers to predict this weekend, as Italy should run out comfortable winners. It could be worth siding with the Italians on the spread.
Pick
