Liechtenstein vs Italy Predictions

Italy may have missed out on the last World Cup, but their revolution has quickly taken them to the Euros. There are few international managers with the CV of Roberto Mancini, while the former Man City tactician has the chance to add to that this week. His side have already wrapped up top spot, but they could set a national record for victories if they can live up to their favourites tag against Liechtenstein this week.

Liechtenstein are struggling to make an impact on the world stage, having taken just two points from their seven games so far. The hosts are coming off a 1-1 draw with Armenia, a result which did dent the third-placed side’s chances of going to the Euros. However, it hasn’t been the great 12 months for the hosts, who lost four and won one of their six Nations League outings.

The visitors are on an eight-game winning run, one shy of the all-time record of nine. They could match the record with a result on Tuesday, while the record could be broken in their visit to Bosnia next month. That signals a positive change for the Azzurri, who hit rock bottom just under two years ago. Their failure to make the 2018 World Cup was a bitter blow, while they are now aiming to be among the favourites at Euro 2020.

Italy are shaping up for a strong summer, especially with their Euro 2020 games being played in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. They have a fresh squad of talent behind them and a top manager, while their 100% record from seven qualifiers is also a record for Mancini. He’ll be looking to add to that after securing Italy’s fastest ever successful qualification.

Italy shouldn’t be resting up here, especially given their winning run, the potential record ahead of them and the quality of the opposition. We expect them to record another impressive victory over Liechtenstein. These two have met three times over the last three years, with Italy winning each comfortably. Their 4-0 win here is their smallest margin of victory across those meetings, with the Italians hitting 15 goals across the three.

Mancini’s Italy are clearly better than the side of two years ago, while they won the reverse fixture 6-0 back in March. We expect them to pull off another successful campaign, so we are backing them to win with a -3 handicap, while a 5-0 victory for the visitors is our correct score pick.