Italy will look to replicate their first-leg result against Turkiye as the two sides meet again for the second-leg fixture of the UEFA Nations League group stage on Monday.
Italy vs Turkiye – Match preview and team news
- Date: Monday, 5th October.
- Kick-off: 7:45pm BST.
- Venue: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna.
Italy team news
Roberto Mancini is planning heavy squad rotation to navigate a heavily congested international window. The Azzurri will be without forward Moise Kean, who officially withdrew from the training camp and returned to his club after a recurring knock.
Additionally, Giacomo Raspadori remains sidelined with an injury. On a positive note, Italy welcomes back midfield orchestrator Nicolò Barella and defender Gianluca Mancini to the starting lineup after they missed the previous match against France.
Defender Alessandro Bastoni, who has scored in consecutive matches against Türkiye and France, is fully fit and expected to start.
Up front, Gianluca Scamacca is strongly pushing to replace Pio Esposito in the starting eleven as Mancini looks to refresh his attacking options.
Turkiye team news
The team will be missing its primary creative core, as star playmaker Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Juventus forward Kenan Yıldız are both ruled out with injuries for this international break.
The tactical setback is compounded by massive disciplinary suspensions, with both Arda Güler and Barış Alper Yılmaz unavailable following yellow card accumulations.
In the absence of Çalhanoğlu, former Juventus defender Merih Demiral will continue to wear the captain’s armband and lead the side from the back.
Montella will be forced to entirely restructure his attacking frontline and midfield dynamics to compensate for these high-profile absences against a robust Italian defence. These extensive personnel changes mean a highly experimental Turkish side will take the field tonight in Bologna.
Form
Italy
Italy’s current form shows steady improvement under Roberto Mancini. Following a 2-0 opening-day defeat to Belgium in UEFA Nations League Group A1, the Azzurri rebounded decisively by defeating Türkiye 4-1 in Bursa. They carried that momentum into their most recent outing, earning a commendable 1-1 draw away against France in Saint-Denis. Currently sitting third in the group with four points, Italy’s rebuilding phase features an experimental yet resilient squad.
Turkiye
Türkiye’s current form is in a severe slump, putting manager Vincenzo Montella under heavy pressure. The Crescent-Stars are enduring a three-match losing streak to open their debut League A campaign, leaving them rock bottom of Group A1 without a point. Following a narrow 1-0 loss to France and a 4-1 thumping by Italy, their struggles worsened with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Belgium last week.
Predicted lineups
Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Barella, Tonali, Frattesi; Vergara, P. Esposito, S. Esposito
Turkiye: Cakir; Kabak, Demiral, Celik; Kadioglu, Ozcan, Yuksek, Elmali; Akgun, Akturkoglu; Gul
How to watch Italy vs Turkiye?
In the UK, you can watch the Italy vs. Türkiye UEFA Nations League match exclusively live on Amazon Prime Video’s pay-per-view (PPV) service.
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