Malta clashes with Italy! Catch the Euro 2024 Qualifiers odds series here, featuring our Malta-Italy prediction and pick.
The Maltese had a 2-1 defeat in their travel to North Macedonia. They currently sit at the bottom of the group, but they still have a lot of games to play to make better their standing right now.
The Italians also suffered the same fate, losing to the Englishmen 2-1. Italy hopes to regain its composure after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after a semifinal loss to North Macedonia.
Here are the Malta-Italy soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Euro 2024 Qualifiers Odds: Malta-Italy Odds
Malta: +2600
Italy: -1050
Draw: +800
Over 2.5 Goals: -230
Under 2.5 Goals: +184
How to Watch Malta vs. Italy
TV: DAZN
Stream: fuboTV, ViX+
Time: 2:45 PM ET / 11:45 AM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Malta Can Beat Italy
Malta is among Europe's worst teams, currently at 167th place in the FIFA World Ranking list. Despite their poor position in the world football rankings, the Reds have seen some improvements in recent years.
Malta started to score more frequently and scored at least one goal since last year. In six friendly games last year, the Falcons had a 3-1-2 record, winning over Azerbaijan, Kuwait, and Israel, drawing 2-2 with Greece, while losing to Ireland and Venezuela both in 0-1 scorelines.
In matches against better teams, Malta is fighting back but still cannot do too much. In matches for the World Cup Qualifiers in 2021, they lost 6:0 to Slovakia, 7:1 to Croatia, 4:0 to Slovenia, and 2:0 to Russia. The Knights of Malta found their strides in the UEFA Nations League. In League D, Group 2, they won two games against San Marino but lost two matches to Estn=onia, placing them second in the group.
The Maltese hope to find some positive results this time. Michele Marcolini debuted as Malta's head coach in a 2:1 loss against North Macedonia. Malta gave a decent account of themselves, where they managed to end the first-half goalless much to the frustration of the home fans but Elif Elmas fired North Macedonia in front after 66-minutes and that was followed up shortly after by Darko Churlinov making it 2-0. Yannick Yankam pulled a goal back for Malta in the 85th minute to set up a nervy final few moments for the hosts but North Macedonia held on to confirm their victory. The Falcons are up for some tight contest with England and Ukraine still in the group.
Most of Malta's players are playing in the domestic league. Only four players in the current squad are playing outside Malta: James Brown (St. Johnstone), Zach Muscat (Farense), Teddy Teuma (Royale Union SG), and Jodi Felice Jones (Notts County). Teddy Teuma is the best player on the team. According to credible websites, his value is around 5 million euros, while the rest of the squad (23 players) is worth 5 million euros as well.
Why Italy Can Beat Malta
Italy is the eighth-best football team in the world, according to the December 2022 FIFA rankings. However, despite their high position among other nations, the Italians have not found much success lately. For the first time in their history, Italy missed two consecutive World Cups. They only missed the 1958 World Cup in Sweden before missing the last two in Russia and Qatar. Despite the two World Cups they missed, Italy won the EURO 2020.
After failing to qualify for the World Cup, Italy played very well in the UEFA Nations League A, group 3, with Hungary, Germany, and England. They finished first with a 3-2-1 record and 11 points in such a tough group, which could indicate that better times are coming once again.
After the 2:1 loss to England, head coach Roberto Mancini told the media that deserved at least a draw, but he also said emphasized that they must defend corners better. Italy came out with more purpose in the second forty-five and reduce the gap to one goal in the 56th minute when Mateo Retegui scored on his international debut. Italy continued to trouble England throughout the second half and when Luke Shaw was sent-off for the visitors 10 minutes from time, it looked like Italy might get an equalizer. However, that was not the case and Mancini's men suffered a narrow and disappointing defeat.
In recent years, Mancini was against bringing foreign players to the national team, but he changed his mind in Mateo Retegui's case. Mateo Retegui plays for Tigre (on loan from Boca Juniors) and has scored six goals in nine matches for Tigre this season. The 23-year-old forward played 90 minutes in his debut for the national team and scored their only goal.
Federico Chiesa from Juventus is not called for the first two games due to a tendon irritation. Italy still boasts a lot of talent, like Gianluca Scamacca, Wilfried Gnonto, Marco Verratti, Jorginho, and Lorenzo Pellegrini. Gianluigi Donnarumma is the second most-capped member of the team with 51 caps who will likely get the nod as first-choice goalkeeper.
Final Malta-Italy Prediction & Pick
Gli Azzurri will not let this game away. Malta can make this match exciting, especially in front of the Maltese faithful in the Ta'Qali National Stadium. However, the Italians are just too good compared to the Maltese. Back the visitors to get the win in this high-scoring affair.
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