Italy vs Albania – Euro 2024 Group Stage Prediction Match Details
Italy will begin their Euro title defence when they take on Albania in Group B at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund on June 15.
Italy Preview & Form
Italy is in great form with an impressive six-match unbeaten run. Despite this, they are considered somewhat of a dark horse in the Euro tournament, having failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. The new manager, Luciano Spalletti, has changed Italy’s approach to games since taking over from Roberto Mancini. They had excellent final preparation in the friendly games, going unbeaten in their last six matches. In March, they won both of their friendly matches, beating Venezuela and Ecuador. They then drew 0-0 at home to Turkey and beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in their final European Championship warm-up game last week. Italy aims for a fast start in Group B, which includes tough opponents like Spain and Croatia. Spalletti will only be satisfied with three points in their opening game against underdog Albania at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.
Albania Preview & Form
Albania’s path to Euro 2024 has been remarkable. They secured their second-ever European Championship qualification by defeating Poland and the Czech Republic in the qualifying group. Despite their strong performance, bookmakers still consider Albania the biggest underdog in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2024. In this group, Albania will play against Italy in the first match, followed by matches against Croatia and Spain. The team had solid final preparations in the friendly matches, winning 3-0 against Liechtenstein and 3-1 against Azerbaijan. Albania has a good mix of experienced players and talented youth in their squad, which could be advantageous for them in this tournament.
Italy vs Albania Starting Lineups
Spain Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Bastoni; Cambiasso, Cristante, Jorginho, Dimarco; Pellegrini; Scamacca, Chiesa
Albania Probable Lineup (4-2-1-3): Berisha; Hysaj, Ismajli, Djimsiti, Mitaj; Asllani, Ramadani; Bajrami; Asani, Broja, Seferi
Italy vs Albania Team News
Italy Euro 2024 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Federico Gatti (Juventus).
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus).
Forwards: Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta).
Albania Euro 2024 Squad:
Goalkeepers: Etrit Berisha (Empoli), Elhan Kastrati (Cittadella), Thomas Strakosha (Brentford).
Defenders: Arlind Ajeti (CFR Cluj), Naser Aliji (Voluntari), Ivan Balliu (Rayo Vallecano), Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta), Elseid Hysaj (Lazio), Ardian Ismajli (Empoli), Enea Mihaj (Famalicao), Mario Mitaj (Lokomotiv Moscow), Marash Kumbulla (Sassuolo).
Midfielders: Amir Abrashi (Grasshoppers), Kristjan Asllani (Inter), Nedim Bajrami (Sassuolo), Medon Berisha (Lecce), Klaus Gjasula (Darmstadt 98), Qazim Laci (Sparta Prague), Ernest Muci (Besiktas), Ylber Ramadani (Lecce).
Forwards: Yasir Asani (Gwangju FC), Armando Broja (Fulham), Mirlind Daku (Rubin Kazan), Arber Hoxha (Dinamo Zagreb), Rey Manaj (Sivasspor), Taulant Seferi (Baniyas).
Italy vs Albania H2H Record (Last Five Games)
- Albania 1-3 Italy
- Albania 0-1 Italy
- Italy 2-0 Albania
- Italy 1-0 Albania
Italy vs Albania Prediction Betting Tips
Italy has demonstrated great winning strength in all their encounters with Albania over the past years, being on a four-match winning streak. They understand the importance of winning the upcoming match, as it will put them in a favorable position in Group B ahead of their clashes with Spain and Croatia. Therefore, we predict that Italy will win with a 2-0 scoreline.
