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With three wins, Italy finished top of Group A ahead of Wales and qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2021. Austria, on the other hand, defeated Ukraine in a decisive match, securing second place in Group C.
Match info, statics and live score
Before the match Italy (1st A) – Austria (2nd C)
Italy (1st Group A)
Unbeaten since the autumn of 2018 when they started the competition, Italy continue to extend their run of 29 consecutive games without a single defeat. Although this streak should be put into perspective by the fact that the only “big” team the Italians have faced is the Netherlands, they continue to perform in this Euro. Two 3-0 victories against Turkey and Switzerland and a 1-0 win against Wales have put Mancini’s team in a position to win the tournament.
Now it’s up to them to confirm this against teams that will become more and more determined and difficult to play against as the knockout rounds get underway.
Austria (2nd Group C)
A first victory against modest Northern Macedonia (3-1), and another against Ukraine (0-1) in the final of this group has enabled the Austrians to qualify for the last 16. However, after the second game against the Netherlands without having shown anything, we didn’t really expect them to win against the attractive Ukrainians. It was therefore a nice surprise to see them qualify for the next round.
However, Austria will have their work cut out for them if they want to eliminate the Italian side whose confidence level is at its highest.
Italy vs Austria Match Analysis
Italy: The Masters
The Italians opened Euro 2021 in the best possible way. They faced Turkey, which was seen as a dangerous team, and did not hold back, winning by 3 goals to 0 in front of the Roman public. The second day saw another 3-0 victory, against Switzerland, with Locatelli in midfield. The final for the first place in the group was against Gareth Bale’s Wales. They won 1-0, becoming the first team to qualify for the next round of the tournament.
Italy’s midfield is solid and strong and they continue to play a very good game. Will it be enough to go all the way?
Austria: A two-speed team
Having started their campaign perfectly by beating Northern Macedonia (3-1), Austria then struggled against the Netherlands. The Austrians were defeated by Memphis Depay’s teammates, but their fate was still in their own hands. In a qualifying final against Ukraine, second lace was up for grabs, and that is what they managed to get. It was an interesting performance thanks to a redesigned formation. They were able to score and then keep their backs to the wall to make the Ukrainian strikers struggle.
With three very different performances, what should the Italians expect against Franco Foda’s team?
Last clashes between Italy and Austria
The shared footballing history of Italy and Austria is significant. Indeed, the first meeting between the two countries dates back to 3 July 1912, when Austria won 5-1 at the Olympic Games in Stockholm.
Since then there have been 36 other meetings, the last one on 20th August 2008 resulting in a 2-2 draw. Of the 37 meetings between the two teams, Italy has won 17 times compared to Austria’s 12, and 8 matches have ended in a draw.
- 25/03/1989 – Austria 0-1 Italy
- 09/06/1990 – Italy 1-0 Austria
- 23/06/1998 – Italy 2-1 Austria
- 20/08/ 2008 – Austria 2-2 Italy
- 26/06/2021 – Italy – Austria
Italy and Austria’s squads
Italy will be able to count on almost their entire squad, plus the return of Marco Verratti for the third group match. However, Roberto Mancini is likely to be without Chiellini and Florenzi (injured but on the list), Sensi and Pellegrini.
Austria will be playing with their entire squad, but there is some uncertainty about Valentino Lazaro and Baumgartlinger, about whom more will be known in the next few days. However, it is not impossible that they will be included in the match sheet.
Likely line-ups: Italy – Austria
Below are the likely line-ups for the Euro 2021 Round of 16 match between Italy and Austria.
Italy’s Probable Line-up 🇮🇹 (4-3-3):
- Goalkeeper: Donnarumma
- Defenders: Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Bastoni (or Chiellini), Spinazzola
- Midfielders: Verratti, Jorginho, Locatelli
- Forwards: Berardi, Immobile, Insigne Berardi, Immobile, Insigne
Austria’s Probable Line-up 🇦🇹 (4-3-2-1):
- Goalkeeper: Bachmann
- Defenders: Lainer, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Alaba
- Midfielders: Laimer, Schlager, Grillitsch, Sabitzer, Baumgartner
- Attacker: Arnautovic