Italy vs. Argentina Rugby 2013: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

For the first time in seven years, Argentina travel to Rome this weekend seeking a maiden victory of their autumn Test series, while their Italian hosts head to the capital with back-to-back wins in their sights.

Daniel Hourcade's side have had a miserable time north of the equator this November, conceding 71 points in their two games so far and lacking an offensive bite, too, scoring just 18 of their own.

The Azzurri, on the other hand, did well to recover from their 50-20 loss against Australia, putting an impressive 37 points past Fiji last weekend, and are now aiming to close their month in positive fashion.

As the climax of both teams' autumn spells, one can expect a passionate, nothing-to-lose mentality from both outfits, not a second of which you'll want to miss.

Date: Saturday, Nov. 23

Time: 3 p.m. local time/2 p.m. GMT/9 a.m. ET

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Viewing Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK), Sky Sport 1 (ITA)

Stream: Sky Go app (subscription required)

Home Disadvantage?

Considering both nations are fairly new to the sport in the larger spectrum—this fixture only dates back 35 years—it's unsurprising that Italy vs. Argentina is far from the most chronicled of matchups.

However, for the 18 clashes that there have been between the two sides, it's the Pumas who have shown more predatory instincts, winning 12, drawing one and losing just five, per RugbyData.com.

One would like to think that Italy has been something of a haven for the Italians among those five wins, but the truth is that the Azzurri have only won twice in their own backyard, the last of which came in 1998.

What's more, Jacques Brunel's men have never triumphed in the nation's capital, making for even worse omens ahead of Saturday's fixture.

Of course, form and statistics such as these only mean so much come kick-off but are daunting nonetheless.

Italy Player to Watch: Michele Campagnaro

Last week's encounter with Fiji was a bruising one for Italy, who were left with a few noticeable scars thanks to the Pacific Islanders, albeit emerging with the win.

One of those with a very literal scar is centre Luca Morisi who, after taking a hit from Asaeli Tikoirotuma, had to be substituted and Sky Sports later confirmed that the youngster had to have his spleen removed.

Michele Campagnaro was the man who came on as a replacement for Morisi and will likely grab his first starting cap for his national team this weekend after an impressive 71-minute outing.

ESPN reports that the 20-year-old carried for 62 metres, beating two defenders and forcing one turnover. If his debut was anything to go by, there's a lot to come from the Treviso starlet.

Argentina Player to Watch: Juan Manuel Leguizamon

In the absence of Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, it's undoubtedly another Juan—Juan Manuel Leguizamon—who's stepped in as leader of the Argentinian pack over in recent months.

Even in the attacking drought among his squad of recent weeks, Leguizamon remains one of the most likely sources of tries in the Pumas' squad, posing a massive threat to defences just as he did during the Rugby Championship during the summer.

With Sergio Parisse the man opposite him in the scrum, Leguizamon has a big personal battle on his hands and will need to replicate his leading performance from last week's loss in Cardiff, where ESPN says he carried for an astonishing 92 metres.