This game has a David vs. Goliath feel about it but these Malta vs. Italy predictions do suggest that it will be the Azzurri that will come away happiest. But Italy have faltered before and Roberto Mancini will be keen to avoid any surprises at the Ta' Qali Stadium on Sunday.
Malta are the big underdogs in Group C and will be looking at other fixtures than the ones against Italy, England and Ukraine for the morale-boosting points in this campaign. But there have been signs of improvement recently and Italian-born head coach Michele Marcolini will want his players to put in a good performance on Sunday.
After kicking off the campaign against one of the surprises of the last few years in North Macedonia, Malta now faces Italy before hosting England in June. No one seriously believes that the Falcons can get anything from these games, but there have been Azzurri upsets before.
Creative midfielder Teddy Teuma will be the main source of inspiration in the Malta side, after his impressive performances for his club side, Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League recently. But Malta will just want to keep opposing goals down to a minimum and should defend deeply in the hope of coming away with a respectable final scoreline.
Roberto Mancini will be looking at this game as a chance to rack up the goals and put a smile back on the faces of Azzurri fans before the Nations League finals in June. A lack of a goal-getting striker shouldn't be as much of a problem here, but whoever does find the net could lay a claim for future inclusion.
With Ciro Immobile injured – and possibly not coming back to the international fold – Mancini has selected some players who have yet to really get a good look in. So it could be one of those who finds the net on Sunday. West Ham's Gianluca Scamacca has endured a tough year in the English Premier League, so a goal for him could be a massive boost to all concerned.
Italy will be expected to add to their goal difference this weekend. But Malta will look to frustrate the visitors – so a bet on Italy to score under 3.5 goals could be a good idea, although the Azzurri should be backed to win to nil as well.
Malta vs. Italy can be watched live on Sunday evening on Viaplay Sports 2 and Viaplay UK with a monthly subscription.
Malta (3-4-2-1): Bonnello; Muscat, Apap, Borg; Mbong, Guillaumier, Paiber, Camenzuli; Teuma, Jones; Satariano
Italy (3-4-3): Donnarumma; Bonucci, Acerbi, Romangnoli; Di Lorenzo, Verratti, Jorginho, Spinazzola; Berardi, Scamacca, Gnonto
Halloween wordt ieder jaar uitgebreid gevierd op Malta! Eind oktober verschijnen overal pompoenen, skeletten, spinnenwebben en andere griezelige versieringen. Ook aan Halloweenfeesten is er geen gebrek, vooral in Paceville.
Op zaterdag 21 november 2026 keert het Malta Whisky Festival terug voor alweer de elfde editie. Bij Giardini Lambrosa in Rabat staat vanaf 19:00 uur een avond in het teken van whisky, verschillende smaken en gezellig samenzijn.
Zin om eens iets heel anders te doen in Malta? De komende weken organiseren we samen met onze nieuwe partner CY Beauty & Wellness in Ħamrun vijf leuke, creatieve workshops waarbij je zelf aan de slag gaat én met je eigen creatie naar huis gaat!
Altijd al willen weten hoe je een écht goede cocktail maakt? Of ben je vooral heel goed in het opdrinken ervan? 😉 Dan hebben we de perfecte zaterdagmiddag voor je!
Werken op Malta is natuurlijk leuk, maar wat doe je eigenlijk ná je werk? Zeker wanneer je net naar Malta bent verhuisd, is het fijn om snel nieuwe mensen te leren kennen. En wat is er nu makkelijker dan samen met je collega's leuke dingen ondernemen?
Bij NedMalta draait het natuurlijk om gezelligheid, nieuwe mensen leren kennen en samen leuke dingen ondernemen. En nee, dat hoeft echt niet altijd uitgaan of een drankfeestje te zijn! 😉
Halloween is coming to Malta, and this year we're doing things a little differently!
Vandaag zitten ontzettend veel plaatsen op Malta en Gozo zonder stroom. En eerlijk gezegd... wij zagen dit eigenlijk al aankomen!
