England are stuck in last place in Group 3 of the Nations League top division and need to get three points on the board Friday against Italy to have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation. We could be set for a real classic as Italy also need a win to have a chance of qualifying for the Nations League finals.
Bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 4.40 for the teams to play out a fourth score draw in five meetings. The odds are at 6.00 for both teams to win with goals being scored by each side.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 22nd, 8:00 A.M. (EST)
Scoring goals has been a major issue for the Three Lions during the current Nations League campaign and it’s been a big reason why they are still win-less after four games. Gareth Southgate’s men have drawn with Italy and Germany while incredibly losing both meetings against Hungary. England even got thumped 4-0 on home turf by the Hungarians.
Relegation to League B is now a real possibility for the side that’s ranked fifth in the world in the latest FIFA rankings. England will need at least four points from matches against Italy and Germany and even that might not be enough to survive.
With the goals having dried up, everybody will be looking at Harry Kane. The Tottenham star is just three goals short of matching Wayne Rooney’s all-time scoring record for England and a hat trick would do nicely for the side right now. Kane had an incredible record for England last year with 16 goals in 16 games and Southgate needs to find a way to get his captain going again.
Italy have played out a win, a loss and two draws in the competition so far. They had a decent run through the first few outings, but Roberto Mancini will now want to see a reaction from his men to an embarrassing 5-2 defeat suffered against Germany. Italy even trailed 5-0 in the match before bagging a couple of late goals.
The Azzurri have struggled following the Euros and haven’t had any consistency even on home turf. They managed to take care of Hungary in Cesena in June, but the team has just three home wins in eight matches after winning the Henri Delaunay Trophy last July, which is a very disappointing run that needs immediate improvement.
