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
Het is zeker de moeite waard om een buskaart aan te vragen als je naar Malta komt, met een buskaart kan je GRATIS gebruik maken van de bussen, de ferries tussen Valletta en Sliema / Valletta en Birgu en de lift van Barrakka upper gardens. Zonder kaart zijn de kosten €2.50 per trip.
April is een geweldige tijd om Malta en Gozo te bezoeken, want het weer begint langzaam warmer te worden naarmate de lente vordert. In deze blog zullen we kijken naar het weer dat je kunt verwachten op deze prachtige eilanden in april, inclusief informatie over UV-straling en zwemomstandigheden.
Ben jij klaar voor het meest epische evenement van het jaar? Dutch Kingsday, the Malta edition, staat voor de deur en we hebben JOU nodig om tickets te verkopen en de feestvreugde naar een hoger niveau te tillen! Maar wacht, we zijn niet op zoek naar de standaard verkopers die je op straat tegenkomt. Nee, we zoeken mensen met...
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Wil je de betoverende onderwaterwereld van Malta ontdekken? Maak je klaar voor een onvergetelijke ervaring met Malta Blue Diving op 30 Maart, waar Nederlands gesproken wordt! Of ga mee op 4 en 8 Mei!
Hebben jullie al zin in DE kroegentocht van Malta? Nadat jullie met veel JA op de poll hebben geantwoord hebben wij DE kroegentocht voor jullie opgezet voor Vrijdag 15 Maart!
