Malta vs. Italy: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Italy will look to assert themselves over Group H minnows Malta in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. The group, also containing Bulgaria, Croatia, Norway and Azerbaijan, is one Italy will be expected to win. 

This game represents a great chance for manager Antonio Conte's squad to flex its attacking muscle. That's not exactly something the Azzurri have managed to do so far, despite opening the campaign with consecutive wins.

Before previewing the specifics of the game, here are the viewing and schedule details:

Date: Monday, October 13, 2014

Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST) / 2:45 p.m. (ET)

TV: Sky Sports 5—Red Button

Live Stream: Sky Go. ESPN3.

Preview

Conte will be eager for his team to produce its first comprehensive and assured performance of this qualifying campaign. Despite a winning start, Conte's squad hasn't exactly impressed, per Goal.com reporter Joe Hewison:

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The Azzurri have two wins from two games in their qualifying campaign, but are looking to put together a more convincing performance

Italy coach Antonio Conte wants his team to avoid leaving games 'in the balance' ahead of its Euro 2016 qualifier in Malta on Monday.

The Azzurri have come in for criticism despite winning their opening two Group H games, laboring to a 2-1 victory against Azerbaijan in Palermo on Friday.

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Malta should provide the opportunity for Conte's players to showcase more verve going forward, provided they want to take it. It's often been a trait of Italian football to simply do enough to earn results in qualifying and group formats.

Claudio Villa/Getty Images

The national team tends to save its best for the actual tournaments themselves. However, Italy's sluggish performances so far could also be attributed to Conte's natural defensive inclinations.

The former Juventus boss is nothing if not pragmatic. Even his most dominant Juve teams leaned more toward a conservative style of play.

Yet despite any supposed stylistic issues, Italy's players, especially those who played for him in Turin, believe Conte can achieve great things at the international level.

One Juve player who believes that is miniature forward Sebastian Giovinco. After the Azerbaijan game, he expressed his confidence in Conte during an interview with Rai Sport (h/t Forza Italian Football writer George Rinaldi): "It is a little weird as we are used to each other for the Bianconeri, but the Azzurri needed a figure like Conte. He hasn’t changed a bit from his days at Juve!"

As he often did at Juve, Conte will rely on midfield duo Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio to create and convert enough chances to secure a comfortable win. Even at 35, Pirlo hasn't lost his knack for playing defence-splitting passes.

Those passes should connect with the runs of Marchisio, who has a real knack for late darts into the box. Once there, the 28-year-old is a crafty and deadly finisher who rarely wastes his chances.

But Conte will also hope Pirlo's passing radar and Marchisio's smart movement create space for Borussia Dortmund's pacy forward Ciro Immobile to consistently get behind the Malta defence.

While he relies on his veteran core, Conte can also turn to 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain pass-master Marco Verratti, if he wants to freshen things up in midfield or give Pirlo a breather.

Predicted Final Score: Malta 0-4 Italy

Conte's team will still leave many skeptical, but the squad will certainly play better than in recent matches. The Azzurri's depth of quality in midfield will be too much for an overwhelmed Malta team to handle.