Euro 2024 team guide and best bets: Italy
Italy are the defending champions at Euro 2024 but are largely unfancied in the betting. Can the Azzurri outrun their odds again?
Take a deep dive on Luciano Spalletti’s side with Odds Now’s comprehensive team guide, featuring tactical analysis, players to watch out for, predicted line-ups, betting tips and more.
How Italy qualified for Euro 2024
Italy continue to be an enigma on the international stage, with their unexpected European Championship triumph in 2021 sandwiched by two equally shocking failures to qualify for World Cups.
Despite missing out on Qatar 2022, boss Roberto Mancini’s stock was still high heading into qualification for Euro 2024.
The ex-Manchester City boss vowed to steer the Azzurri back to the heights of earlier in his tenure, which also featured a world-record unbeaten run of 37 matches.
However, he was tendering his resignation by August. The 59-year-old described it as a “personal decision”, before becoming the new boss of Saudi Arabia a fortnight later.
Picking up the pieces was ex-Napoli boss Spalletti, who helped negotiate Italy through their remaining six qualifiers in an efficient but unspectacular fashion.
Second place was sealed on the final matchday with a nervy 0-0 draw against Ukraine, where Serhiy Rebrov’s ‘hosts’ — playing at a neutral venue due to their ongoing conflict with Russia — were controversially denied a late penalty which would have sent Italy into the play-offs.
Goals did not exactly flow, as displayed by Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi top scoring with just three strikes.
Italy's squad for Euro 2024
Italy named a 26-man squad ahead of the tournament:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Michael Folorunsho (Hellas Verona), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
Italy’s predicted starting XI for Euro 2024
Italy's star player - Federico Chiesa
Though Italy’s shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma was voted Player of the Tournament during their Euro 2020 success, Federico Chiesa was their breakout star.
Then a 23-year-old who had only recently agreed a two-year loan to Juventus from his parent club Fiorentina, Chiesa’s all-action performances cutting in from the left of his nation’s front three truly announced him on the world stage.
The tricky winger was voted man of the match in a crucial group stage win over Wales, before netting crucial strikes in knockout clashes with Austria and Spain.
After that tournament, it seemed the Old Lady had one of the game’s emerging stars in their ranks but the subsequent three seasons have been a tale of frustration.
A cruciate ligament tear sustained in January 2022 saw him miss nearly a year of football, while more recent times have brought a struggle for consistency.
Chiesa heads to Germany with rumours swirling over his future in Turin, supposedly being tracked by several Premier League sides.
Perhaps another major tournament is exactly the platform he needs to get a stuttering career back on track.
Italy's one to watch - Raoul Bellanova
After a nomadic start to his professional career, Raoul Bellanova has finally found his feet at the highest level.
The marauding right wing-back was a product of AC Milan’s academy but began his professional career with French outfit Bordeaux.
And since returning home in 2020, the 24-year-old is already on his fifth club — spells with Atalanta, Pescara, Cagliari and Inter Milan all preceding last summer’s permanent switch to Torino.
Under Ivan Juric’s watch, Bellanova has found a new level of performance. He missed just one Serie A game as Il Toro secured a top-half finish, registering a goal and seven assists as part of a backline with the fourth-meanest defensive record in the division.
Right wing-back is a problem area for Italy and Spalletti saw fit to give Bellanova his senior international debut against Ecuador in March, where he impressed in a 45-minute outing curtailed by injury.
Should he force his way into the Azzurri XI in Germany, expect transfer speculation to increase further.
Aston Villa, Roma, Manchester United and West Ham have all been linked with a move in recent weeks.
Italy’s manager - Luciano Spalletti
After bringing back the Scudetto to Naples for the first time in 33 years, 65-year-old Spalletti was getting ready to put his feet up.
“I need to take some time to rest because I'm pretty tired,” he said. “I don't know if you can call it a year's sabbatical but I won't be working. I won't be coaching Napoli or any other team.”
Two months later, he was being unveiled as his nation’s new boss. Some things are worth delaying a holiday for.
The veteran coach has long been one of the most respected in his profession, with impressive work at Roma (twice), Zenit St Petersburg and Inter Milan all leading up to his “pezzo forte” with Napoli.
Tactically, that team he created at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium truly was a masterpiece, though replicating it with this unremarkable Azzurri squad looks a stiff ask.
Spalletti is keen to instil stricter discipline into his squad, recently berating several players for having a “PlayStation addiction”.
Quizzed on his target for this summer’s tournament, he said: “Our target is simple. To return from Germany and hear Italians say, ‘We are proud of you’.”
Italy's Euro 2024 betting odds
Italy to win Euro 2024 - 16/1
Croatia to reach the Euro 2024 final - 15/2
Croatia to win Group B - 5/2
Croatia top team goalscorer - Federico Chiesa 7/2, Giacomo Raspadori 13/2, Gianluca Scamacca 13/2, Mateo Retegui 8/1, 10/1 BAR
*All best UK prices available as of 28/05/24
Analysis and best bets for Italy at Euro 2024
Expert analysis from Odds Now’s Matt Hill:
“Those who wrote off Italy as also-rans at Euro 2020 were taught a harsh lesson — yet the Azzurri will go off an even bigger price to defend their crown.
“That is in part down to being drawn in a so-called “group of death”, with Spain and Croatia providing stern tests alongside a handy Albanian side.
“Whether that term is still valid in the era of third-placed teams still reaching the knockouts is debatable, though.
“Luciano Spalletti has not even been in the job a year and while results have been solid, there are still few signs of the free-flowing football his Napoli side were famed for.
“This is, once again, a squad low on superstars but blessed with reliable performers who will be hard for anyone to beat.
“Ultimately, victory over Albania should see Italy into the last 16 so I’m reluctantly swerving the 5/1 about them falling at the first hurdle.
“The more interesting game for me is for the Azzurri to take exactly three points from their three group games at 6/1. 13/10 also looks a fair price for Spain to beat them in the opening clash.”
Matt’s Best Bets:
Spain to beat Italy - 13/10
Italy to get exactly three points - 6/1 (SkyBet)