The EURO 2020 tournament finally gets underway on Friday with Italy hosting Turkey in Rome. The Italians start the action on a 27-game unbeaten run.
Bookmaker 1xBit believes that it will be a low-scoring game here with the odds for under 2.5 goals at 1.605 and for over 2.5 goals at 2.3.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 10th, 10:00 A.M. (EST)
It’s going to be a hugely important tournament for the Italians after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was a major shock for the whole country and it’s been a long wait for a chance of redemption.
Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was hired three years ago to clear up the mess, and he’s done a wonderful job so far with 23 wins and just two losses in 32 matches. The team is unbeaten since September 2018 and Mancini’s men take on Turkey on an eight-game winning run during which they haven’t conceded a single goal.
The Italians have always been known for their outstanding defensive performances, but the team’s current run of 20 clean sheets in 27 is on a completely different level. It looks like Turkey has to produce something special to get anything from the match.
Turkey are probably among those teams who feel very frustrated by the tournament’s postponement as they were playing very good football 12 months ago and the results have dipped since then.
The Crescent Stars had a very impressive qualifying campaign for the EURO 2020 finishing second behind France and notching four points in the head-to-head encounters with the world champions. The team was full of confidence heading into summer 2020, but sadly they didn’t get a chance to realize their potential.
Since international football resumed in September 2020, Turkey have had a very leaky defense and wins have been rare to come by with Senol Günes’ team managing only five victories in 14 outings.
Turkey have never beaten Italy in the previous 10 meetings with the two playing out three draws and the Italians winning seven matches. The meeting at the Stadio Olimpico will be the team’s first clash since 2006 when Turkey managed to sneak a 1-1 draw against a team that had just won the World Cup.
Italy’s all-time record in Rome stands at W35 D18 L6. Their last 18 games played in the capital have resulted in 13 wins, two draws and three losses.
