Italy vs Netherlands Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
By George Cannon
Italy host the Netherlands on Wednesday night in Group A1 of the Nations League as both sides aim to progress to the latter stages of the competition.
Roberto Mancini's men claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over their midweek opponents in last month's reverse fixture and can cement their place at the top of the table with a similar result.
Ronald Koeman's departure to take the reins at Barcelona has seen former Crystal Palace, Ajax and Atlanta manager Frank de Boer replace his compatriot at the helm of the Dutch national team, but he's yet to secure a win in his first two matches in charge.
Where to Watch on TV
When Is Kick Off? Wednesday 14 October
What Time Is Kick Off? 19:45 (BST)
Where Is it Played? Gewiss Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Football - Red Button (UK)
Referee? Anthony Taylor
Team News
Fiorentina midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli is sidelined through injury and will miss out on this intriguing encounter. Apart from that, the Azzurri have a clean bill of health with no suspensions to contend with either.
Mancini has named an experienced squad, with Juventus pair Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci continuing to form the base of the side, though the former was left out of the starting XI against Poland in favour of Lazio's Francesco Acerbi.
The Oranje also arrive free of suspensions but also have the luxury of a fully fit squad. De Boer made little changes to the side Koeman played throughout his tenure but has yet to match the results or performances, so may be tempted to try something new in Bergamo.
Predicted Lineups
Italy: Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Chiellini, Biraghi; Jorginho, Locatelli, Verratti; Berardi, Immobile, El Shaarawy.
Netherlands: Cillessen; Hateboer, Van Dijk, Ake, Blind; F. de Jong, Wijnaldum, Van de Beek; Berghuis, Depay, Babel.
Recent Form
Italy are currently in a rich vein of form, having won 14 of their previous 18 matches, drawing the other four. They're a point clear of the Netherlands and Poland at the top of Group A1 following Sunday's 0-0 draw away to the Eagles.
Former Manchester City boss Mancini has won plenty of plaudits since taking over the national team. The 55-year-old boss has blended his experienced stars with young talents such as Federico Chiesa and Nicolo Barella while playing attractive football and achieving good results.
Koeman had injected hope and optimism back into the Dutch set-up after they failed to qualify for consecutive major tournaments, but his surprise departure has seen the return of those previous woes.
A 1-0 friendly loss to Mexico in De Boer's first match was followed up with an equally disappointing goalless draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the weekend. It means they've now gone three matches without finding the back of the net, and questions are already starting to be asked over the new manager's suitability.
Here's how the two sides have fared in their last five fixtures.
Italy
Poland 0-0 Italy (11/10/20)
Italy 6-0 Moldova (7/10/20)
Netherlands 0-1 Italy (7/9/20)
Italy 1-1 Bosnia (4/9/20)
Italy 9-1 Armenia (18/11/19)
Netherlands
Bosnia 0-0 Netherlands (11/10/20)
Netherlands 0-1 Mexico (7/10/20)
Netherlands 0-1 Italy (7/9/20)
Netherlands 1-0 (4/9/20)
Netherlands 5-0 Estonia (19/11/19)
Prediction
Both sides have very talented squads, but there's currently one who appear to be clearly on top. The Dutch have failed to impress in the early stages on De Boer's tenure and their opponents on Wednesday night are much further ahead in their development under Mancini.
It's likely to be a tight affair with neither team possessing a reputation for scoring frequently against top-level opposition, but the Italians should have too much for the Netherlands on this occasion.
Prediction: Italy 2-0 Netherlands