Italy vs Albania: Italy hoping to prove doubters wrong at Euro 2024
Italy will be determined to prove their doubters wrong as they prepare to take on Albania on matchday one of the UEFA EURO 2024 competition on Saturday. Although the Azzurri come into this competition as reigning champions, their failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has many wondering if they will be able to really compete against the likes of England, France, Germany, Spain, and others at this summer’s event.
Currently under the tutelage of Luciano Spalletti, who took over the squad following his Scudetto-winning success with Napoli in 2023, this current Italy squad is a vastly different one than the team that beat England on spot-kicks to win Euro 2020. Still, they have plenty of quality, starting with skipper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who at 25, is no longer a rookie on the international stage. Atalanta’s Gianluca Scamacca, fresh off inspiring his team to a very impressive Europa League win this past season, will be also eager to make his mark in what will be his first international tournament at senior level.
Defending that Euro title won’t be easy, though. To date, only Spain have managed to achieve this feat, with back to back wins in 2008 and 2012. Should Italy defy many of the odds and clinch the coveted prize in July, they not only will match Spain’s achievement from the start of the 21st century but also will pull level with both La Roja and Germany in terms of titles won (three). The Azzurri will certainly be fancying their chances of getting proceedings off on the right foot when they face Albania on Saturday. Although Albania did manage to get through qualifying relatively smoothly to top their group, the Eagles have never beaten Italy in four prior encounters.
Indeed, with four meetings and four losses, the odds, on paper at least, don’t look good for a team who are still new faces in this competition. Albania have only once played in a European competition – back in 2016 – and they were promptly dumped out at the group stages without making much of an impact. Still, many of the team’s players do play their club football in Europe’s biggest leagues, and that includes Serie A, which, of course, is where the majority of Italy’s players also ply their trade.
But with Spain and Croatia in this group, the odds don’t look good for Albania’s chances to get beyond the first three group stage matchdays. The pressure, then, will be on Italy to pick up all three points as there is the possibility that one (or both) of either Spain or Croatia will end up dropping points in their tournament opener, so the Azzurri will be definitely keen on ensuring that they at least can temporarily go top of Group B by battling to a vital win on Saturday.
