England, Italy are rivals seeking redemption as Euro 2024 qualifiers kick-off

By Matthew Placzek
Special to FOX Sports

Thursday night, the suffocating cloud of expectation will descend on Naples as Italy and England rekindle their rivalry to a backdrop of disappointment and frustration in a highly-anticipated Euro 2024 qualifier (3:45 p.m ET on FS1).

Almost a year to the date, the Azzurri lost to North Macedonia 1-0 at home in a playoff semifinal for World Cup qualification, which eliminated the four-time world champions from qualification for the second consecutive cycle.

To their credit, the Three Lions made it to Qatar, but a meek showing against France in the World Cup quarterfinals put a swift stop to their fever dream of lifting the trophy for the first time since 1966.

Regardless of their incoming form, this is a fixture where players tend to shine, turning moments of brilliance into timeless tales.

Peter Shilton’s record 125th and final appearance with the English national team in the third-place match at Italia ‘90. The tenacious performance from Glenn Hoddle’s men to earn a bitter 0-0 draw in Rome and qualification to France ’98. Andrea Pirlo’s cheeky panenka over a helpless Joe Hart to help Italy reach the Euro 2012 semifinals.

And, perhaps, most notably of all, two penalties saved by the gargantuan paws of Gianluigi Donnarumma at Wembley to snatch the Euro 2020 title from the overzealous hands of the English faithful.

“It’s become a bit of a ‘Clasico,'” Italy coach Roberto Mancini said at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference. “I think England are one of the best sides in the world.”

England vs. Italy Highlights I UEFA Nations League

Thursday marks the fourth meeting in less than two years between these two sides. Their most recent encounter was a 1-0 win in favor of the Azzurri in September, but a number of injuries to both teams will make for a drastically different team sheet at kickoff.

For Italy, a dearth of options at center-forward has given Roberto Mancini one of the biggest headaches of his career. Both Ciro Immobile and Giacomo Raspadori are out with injuries, resulting in the first senior call-up of the Argentine-born striker Mateo Retegui. The 23-year-old Tigre striker leads the Argentina Primera División with six goals scored in eight games.

“He’s made a good impression on me,” Italian captain and midfielder Marco Verratti said. “He’s only trained twice with us, but physically he looks like he’s up to it.”

Should Retegui start, it’s likely he’ll come up against the center-back pairing of John Stones and Harry Maguire that England favored in the World Cup. The return of Reece James from injury, however, presents a golden opportunity for Gareth Southgate to move Kyle Walker into the middle and freshen up a stagnant backline. Maguire has only seen 201 minutes of action in the Premier League since the World Cup, and it’s hard to argue that Walker’s pace wouldn’t be beneficial against an Italian side that has scored in 48 of 57 games under Mancini.

Further up the pitch, Marcus Rashford’s current form would have made him a shoo-in to start on the wing if he hadn’t picked up a knock during Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Fulham. Southgate named Mason Mount to his initial squad despite the Chelsea midfielder missing his club’s last four games with a pubic bone injury.

The England manager can rest assured that the player leading his line, Harry Kane, is healthy and champing at the bit. After converting from 12 yards in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, the Spurs forward is tied with Wayne Rooney for 53 international goals and needs to slip one shot past Donnarumma to become England’s all-time leading goalscorer.

“He’s a real leader,” said England midfielder Declan Rice. “A lot of us will be really happy for him if breaks that tomorrow night.”

The importance of securing a point in the opening match of Euro qualification cannot be overstated. The top two teams in each of the ten groups will join hosts Germany and three Nations League playoff-winners next summer. A single slip-up could see either of these two nations slip through the cracks and send Ukraine, Malta or North Macedonia to Euro 2024.

With the city of Naples hosting the national team for the first time in almost 10 years, Italy will hope the raucous home fans will spur the defending European champions to a strong result. History may not favor England, but don’t expect the Three Lions to sit down and roll over for 90 minutes. This is sure to be a cagey, back-and-forth affair, with both squads hoping to make a statement en route to a new era of success.

“Whatever we’ve done in the past is irrelevant,” Southgate said. “We have to work hard to qualify again.”

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