On Tuesday, October 13, the Italian national team hosts their Norwegian counterparts in an Euro 2016 qualifying game. The game will be played at the Stadio Olimpico in the city of Rome and will kick off at 19.45 BST.
The hosts are currently top of their qualifying group with 21 points from 9 games, while their opponents are in 2nd place with 19 points from 9 games.
The Italians have qualified for the tournament, and will be looking to finish on top of the group with a win or a draw in this game. Norway will be looking to qualify for the tournament directly and avoid the chance of a play off with a victory in this game.
The Azzurri, managed by Antonio Conte, are in good form, with three wins, one draw and one defeat in their last five games. These three wins were in consecutive games against Malta (1-0 on September 3), Bulgaria (1-0 on September 6), and Azerbaijan (1-3 on October 10). All these victories came in Euro 2016 qualifying series.
The 2006 world cup winners drew against Croatia in Euro 2016 qualifying (1-1 on June 12), but lost to Portugal in a friendly match (0-1 on June 16).
The Norwegians, managed by Per-Mathias Hogmo, are in even better form, winning three and drawing two of their last five games. These three wins were in consecutive European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria (0-1 on September 3), Croatia (2-0 on September 6), and Malta (2-0 on October 10).
Prior to these two wins, the Scandinavians drew consecutive games against Sweden in a friendly match (0-0 on June 8), and Azerbaijan (0-0 on June 12).
Veteran goalkeeper Gigi Buffon will undoubtedly be one of the deciding factors in this game. The world class goalkeeper is Italy’s captain, and most capped player of all time, and has been one of their most consistent performers of the last decade.
Buffon’s opposite number Orjan Nyland has been colossal to Norway’s charge for qualification, helping them to five clean sheets in their last five games. He will be looking for another clean sheet in this encounter.
Both sides have almost nothing to play for, as Norway only seek to qualify directly for the tournament, while Italy has already qualified. I see this game ending in a tepid, low scoring draw.