Italy vs. Norway: Date, Time, Live Stream for Euro 2016 Qualifier
Italy host Norway on Tuesday, October 13, in a pivotal Euro 2016 qualifier—the winner of which will top Group H and progress to the tournament proper as group winners.
Should Norway lose, they stand at risk of dropping out of second and into the play-off place (a Croatia victory over Malta would complete the swap), making this not quite a must-win, but certainly a must-not-lose for the Scandinavian outfit.
The Azzurri are guaranteed a place at Euro 2016, but are still fighting to be crowned group winners.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Date: Tuesday, October 13
Time: 7.45 p.m. BST / 2.45 p.m. ET
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Last 6 Results (Qualifiers Only)
Italy
Drew 1-1 vs. Croatia (home)
Drew 2-2 vs. Bulgaria (away)
Drew 1-1 vs. Croatia (away)
Won 1-0 vs. Malta (home)
Won 1-0 vs. Bulgaria (home)
Won 3-1 vs. Azerbaijan (away)
Norway
Won 1-0 vs. Azerbaijan (away)
Lost 5-1 vs. Croatia (away)
Drew 0-0 vs. Azerbaijan (home)
Won 1-0 vs. Bulgaria (away)
Won 2-0 vs. Croatia (home)
Won 2-0 vs. Malta (home)
Team News
Italy
Leonardo Bonucci has taken it upon himself to hit back at the critics of Italy, suggesting Antonio Conte was tasked with a complete rebuilding job and has done well so far, per Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia):
"In the moments of difficulty, everyone loves to criticise the work of the players and coach.
We have always known that we’d do well with Conte and we were proved right. We achieved qualification a round early and that is a great result for a side that was reborn from the ashes of a disastrous World Cup in Brazil.
Now we all need to work together to achieve one objective, as this squad has a lot of quality.
"
There's no escaping the fact the Azzurri have been underwhelming aesthetically, but the defender has a point: They are top of Group H and gunning for a top seed for the group-stage draw.
Alessandro Florenzi has spoken of his excitement of representing Italy in the capital of Rome, per Gazzetta World, and the hope is that generates a better performance from the others too.
Norway
Fresh off a 2-0 victory over Malta, Norway only have one injury concern ahead of this pivotal match, but it's a big one: Captain Per Ciljan Skjelbred will be assessed ahead of kick-off to see whether or not he can make it.
The skipper was substituted eight minutes into the second half after twisting his ankle in the turf and was replaced by wonderkid Martin Odegaard for the rest of the match. Bringing the 16-year-old on against minnows Malta is one thing, but having to start him against Italy won't be something manager Per-Mathias Hogmo wishes to do.
Alexander Soderlund finally got off the mark against Malta, netting his first of the campaign, bringing some much-needed form to a Norway outfit a little short on goals despite their lofty table position. He should start again ahead of Joshua King.
Key Men
Italy: Graziano Pelle
Pelle's been something of a mainstay for Italy under Conte so far, appearing in six European qualifiers and scoring two goals in a side which has been tweaked and changed incessantly.
He's been in incredible form in the Premier League for Southampton so far this season so he's firmly in stride, and the Azzurri will look to him to score the goals to secure top spot in the group.
Whether or not he nets, he'll be intrinsically involved in the link play, using his big frame and technically impressive feet to engineer chances and flick-ons. Play off him and good things will happen.
Norway: Alexander Tettey
With question marks surrounding Skjelbred's fitness, even more of an onus will be placed on his fellow midfielders. For Norway to win this, they'll need to win the battle in the centre, and key to that will be Norwich City's Tettey.
The defensive midfielder has eight appearances under his belt during qualifying and a surprising tally of two goals. He and Stefan Johansen will need to play stubborn, dedicated, dogged games in tracking and help move the ball forward cleanly too.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Italy: 100/137
Draw: 13/5
Norway: 16/5
