Italy and England face off once more as qualifying for EURO 2024 gets underway – here is the UK start time, plus all info you will need to make sure you don’t miss it.
The Azzurri has become a familiar foe of England’s in recent years. Of course, this game is a rematch of the EURO 2020 Final that Italy won via a penalty shootout. Since then, the two countries have also played each other in the Nations League.
Italy once again had the upper hand on the Three Lions in this competition. Their first game was a dull 0-0 draw at Molineux. Most recently, Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal as Italy won 1-0 in September 2022.
Like that pre-World Cup fixture, England travel to Italy for their opening Group C qualifying game. The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, home of Serie A high-flyers Napoli, is the host of this particular encounter.
Italy v England UK start time
The match between Italy and England will start at 7.45pm UK time on Thursday 23 March.
How can I watch it?
Channel 4 are broadcasting the Three Lions’ qualifying campaign for the next European Championships. Therefore, Italy v England will be on their various platforms, including TV, and their streaming service, All 4.
Their pre-match build-up goes on air from 7pm.
England squad update
A trio of England players have already pulled out of the squad prior to Thursday’s game. Man United’s Marcus Rashford, who has been in scintillating form in 2023, withdrew due to injury.
Similarly, Mason Mount and Nick Pope are also unavailable because of fitness concerns.
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate has made some minor adjustments to this particular England squad compared to the World Cup team. For instance, Marc Guehi has earned another call-up in defence as Conor Coady and Ben White miss out.
Ivan Toney also comes into the squad after not making it on the plane to Qatar.
Italy squad update
Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad features some familiar Premier League faces. Arsenal midfielder Jorginho is a regular in the team, with Gianluca Scamacca (West Ham) and Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds) making the cut as well.
One of the more surprising exclusions is that of Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli. He was a key piece of the Azzurri’s triumphant Euro 2020 run but has since fallen out of favour with Mancini. Locatelli has not played for his country since the Nations League game against England in September last year.
Italy are not light in midfield reinforcements, though. Aside from Jorginho, they also boast PSG star Marco Verratti, AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali, and Inter’s Nicolo Barella.
Overall, this will be a tough game for Gareth Southgate’s squad as they visit the intimidating Naples atmosphere. Following World Cup heartache, it will be important to kick-start this qualifying journey with a positive performance.
Who else is in their qualifying group?
Joining these two football powerhouses in Group C are Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta. England will play all other teams in their group both home and away throughout the next few international breaks.
To qualify for EURO 2024 in Germany, a team must finish in the top two spaces in the group. Alternatively, the best third-placed teams can qualify for the tournament via the playoffs.
For now, though, England must solely focus on Thursday’s game against Italy (7.45pm UK start time).
Featured image credit: Getty