Italy vs Malta

Italy’s bid to book Euro 2024 tickets is on the line as they welcome continental whipping boys Malta to Stadio San Nicola for a must-win qualifying Group C contest.

Injuries to several significant first-team stars, including Ciro Immobile and Federico Chiesa, could set Italy back in the upcoming clash against England, but there’s no excuse against Malta. After launching his managerial tenure on the national team’s bench with back-to-back unbeaten matches (W1, D1), Luciano Spalletti must deliver against Group C minnows as ‘Gli Azzurri’ face imminent danger of missing out on the European Championship finals for the first time since 191992. Level on points with direct qualification rivals, Ukraine and North Macedonia, albeit with a game in hand, the Italians must extend their nine-match winning H2H streak at all costs. They’ll be glad to know Malta’s last goal against them dates back to 1993, considering they come into this meeting without a clean sheet in four consecutive outings.

On the other hand, Malta’s hopes of qualifying for a major international tournament for the first time are already dead in the water after a five-game losing start to their Group C adventure nailed them to the bottom of the standings. Malta found themselves 2-0 down within the opening half an hour of their home meeting with Italy back in March but did well to fend ‘Gli Azzurri’ off for the rest of the game. Damage control will be their priority in Bari, and manager Michele Marcolini can find some comfort in the fact Malta’s last visit to Italy yielded a narrow 1-0 loss in 2015. Moreover, the visitors haven’t suffered multi-goal margin defeats on foreign soil since going down 2-0 in Russia in September 2021.