Greece v Italy
Saturday 8th June 1945hrs
Football – International – Euro 2020 Qualification
Pick Italy
Bookmaker Marathon Bet
Odds: 11/12 (odds taken 21.45 GMT, Friday 7th June)
Italy were big favourites to qualify from Group J and they have wasted no time in shooting to the top of the section. Greece will be attempting to become the first nation to take points off them in this campaign.
Euro 2020 Qualifying Betting at Marathon Bet
Greece Preview – Could Greece cause an upset at home?
Greece’s most famous moment came in Euro 2004 when the sprung one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history, if not the biggest. Since then, they have made two of the last three European Championship finals but missed out three years ago. A new coach was brought in after a failed UEFA Nations League campaign which seen them fail to get out the third tier. They only finished third in a group of four which suggests improvement is needed for them to qualify from this section. It’s been a campaign which has started on a positive note.
The Greeks have played two away games so far, winning in Liechtenstein and then getting a very credible draw in Bosnia. The latter of those opponents are widely tipped to be their biggest opponents for the second qualification spot. That’s assuming Italy take all before them and finish top of course, which is the most likely scenario on what we have seen so far.
Italy – Can Italy avoid a Greek tragedy on Saturday?
The pain of missing out on the last World Cup was obvious for the whole of Italy. A country steeped in so much success and tradition to fail to qualify for the biggest stage of all was unacceptable and signalled the end of the previous regime. Roberto Mancini was selected as the man to lead them back to the big time, but it’s set to be a work in progress. The Italians performed well enough in the Nations League finishing second behind Portugal and consolidating in the top league. It has given them a platform going into this qualification and they have taken advantage of it. Two games in and its maximum points having scored eight goals in the process. Home matches against Finland and Liechtenstein were unlikely to prove too problematic but the manner in which Mancini’s team have brushed them off is promising.
Having had a decidedly dodgy start to his time in charge the sign are it’s coming right for Mancini. Now six games unbeaten in total, winning four of them, Italy have a renewed confidence as they approach their first test of this campaign. Win this and they can start putting the past behind them and looking ahead in an optimistic mood.
Key-Facts – Greece v Italy
- Italy have started this campaign well taking maximum points from two games and scoring eight goals
- Greece are also unbeaten in this section and will be looking to make it as difficult as possible for the visitors
- Eight of Greece’s last 11 matches have went under 2.5 goals as have seven of Italy’s last eight
Greece v Italy Betting Advice
It may be early in the qualification campaign, but this is an important game for both these teams. Greece know that the majority of their points are going to come at home. For Italy, their recent form has been very good and it’s about dealing with this challenge. Away from home is always going to be more testing and they know the Greeks will prove stubborn opposition backed on by a raucous home support. The winner of this will be in an excellent position for a top two finish even though it’s still very early on.
An obvious trend in Greece’s form at home is how few goals there are. Eight of their last 11 matches have contained two or fewer goals and seven of those have had one or less. That suggests that tomorrow’s game against Italy is going to follow suit. It’s also backed up with the Italian’s recent record whereby seven of their previous eight games have had two or less goals in them. It may be a low-scoring affair but I expect the Italy to prove too strong and continue their 100% start to this group.
