Italy vs Wales: Gareth Bale's Welsh dragons eyeing up a shock in Rome
- Michael Graham
- 19 June 2021
Wales are in confident mood after beating Turkey at Euro 2020, and they want to upset Italy in Rome next.
When: Sunday June 20, 17:00 BST
Where: Rome
How to watch: ITV
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Wales have essentially earned themselves a free hit at winning Group A, although it certainly won't be easy against the stylish Italians in Rome.
Italy have arguably been the most impressive team in the tournament so far and are producing a vibrant attacking style of football that has not always been synonymous with the Azzurri in the past.
Wales' win over Turkey has put them on four points and there is little risk of that not being enough to ensure qualification, but can they go one better and cause a real stir?
Previous three meetings
Italy 4-0 Wales (Qualifier - September 6, 2003)
There haven't been many recent matches between these two sides, with the last ones coming in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2004.
Filippo Inzaghi was the star man the last time they met, bagging a second-half hat-trick before Alessandro Del Piero netting the other.
It was a decent Wales team on paper too, featuring current boss Robert Page, as well as Ryan Giggs, Robbie Savage, Gary Speed, Craig Bellamy, and John Hartson.
Wales 2-1 Italy (Qualifier - October 16, 2002)
The strength of that Wales team was well highlighted in the other group game between these two teams.
Simon Davies and Del Pireo traded first-half goals at the Millennium Stadium before Bellamy bagged a big winner with 20 minutes left for a famous win.
Italy 4-0 Wales (Qualifier - June 05, 1999)
Italy were in complete command in this Euro 2000 qualifier, with Inzaghi again a chief tormentor.
The wily front-man scored in the first half, as did Christian Vieri and Paolo Maldini.
Enrico Chiesa, whose son Federico is part of the current Italy squad, added the fourth.
Italy looking imperious
Italy were not mentioned all that fervently as a favourite in the build-up to the tournament, but perhaps they should have been.
They have won their two matches 3-0, which is remarkably considering they had never scored more than two in a European Championships match at all before Euro 2020.
Less surprisingly, Italy have also been defensively solid and are on a run of ten games without conceding a goal at the moment.
What they haven't faced so far, though, is some top-class individual talent, and Gareth Bale will put that to the test.
However, it's hard at the moment to see Italy fearing anyone considering the form they are in.
Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Salvatore Sirigu
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Emerson, Alessandro Florenzi, Leonardo Spinazzola, Rafael Toloi
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti
Forwards: Andrea Belotti, Domenico Berardi, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Giacomo Raspadori
Wales no pushovers
Anyone thinking Wales' run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 may have been a bit of a fluke may have to reassess based on the Euro 2020 evidence so far.
It's fair to say that Gareth Bale isn't the force he was five years ago, but he and Aaron Ramsey showed they still have the quality in Wales' fine win over Turkey.
When you throw in the pace of Dan James, the guile of Joe Allen, and the physical power of Kiefer Moore, it isn't hard to see why they are creating so many chances.
Italy will be the favourites, without question, but don't count Wales out entirely.
Ozan Tufan (left) and Wales' Kieffer Moore battle for the ball during the UEFA Euro 2020 Group A match at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan.
Wales squad
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies
Defenders: Connor Roberts, Neco Williams, Chris Gunter, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Mepham, Ben Cabango, Ben Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Tom Lockyer
Midfielders: Joe Allen, Joe Morrell, Matthew Smith, Jonny Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Dylan Levitt, Rubin Colwill, Harry Wilson
Forwards: Daniel James, David Brooks, Tyler Roberts, Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore
International head-to-head
Italy wins: 7
Draws: 0
Wales wins: 2
Goalscorer bets
Goalscorer markets can be tough to predict in final group matches because it's hard to know which players coaches are going to throw into the team to freshen things up.
Federico Chiesa may well come into the attack, and his odds of 11/2 to score the first goal look pretty decent.
He has been used from the bench in both games so far, so he appears to be a man Roberto Mancini wants to keep sharp.
As for Wales, their status as outsiders means there is some real value to be found in the first goalscorer markets.
Aaron Ramsey at 14/1, Dan James at 12/1, and Kieffer Moore at 9/1 look especially juicy.
