Turkey vs Italy: The Blues will clinch their first win at EURO 2020

Italy and Turkey will clash in the opening match of Euro 2020. Who will get their first points of the tournament following a head-to-head encounter? We predict that Roberto Mancini’s side will pick up a comfortable win!

After the return of Şenol Güneş, the Turkish team began to climb back into the elite of European football. In the Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Crescent Stars battled to the bitter end with the reigning world champions France, twice beating them but still losing by two points to lose, which was hardly a major disappointment as they won a ticket to the final round of the tournament. The Turks also got off to a flying start to World Cup 2022 qualifying, first beating the Netherlands and Norway 4-2 and 3-0, but then sensationally drawing with Latvia 3-3. Nevertheless, Turkey approach the continental championships in good form and seriously expect to advance from the group.

Italy is another team that has made tremendous progress since the change of head coach. Yes, missing out on the 2022 World Cup is a huge setback for the Blues, but it has forced some serious conclusions that have borne fruit. Under Roberto Mancini, the Italians had a fantastic qualification for UEFA EURO 2020, winning all ten games to a combined score of 37-4, guaranteeing them a direct way to the final round of the tournament. They also started qualifying for the 2022 World Cup with three successive victories over Northern Ireland, Bulgaria and Lithuania, each time by the same score of 2-0.

Turkey and Italy are both in fine form heading into their Euro 2020 fixtures. Only Şenol Güneş’s side has losses, but the Blues have not lost a single game under Roberto Mancini and have won all 13 official Euro 2020 and 2022 qualifying games with a combined score of 43-4. Add to these statistics the fact that the match will take place in Rome and we have Italy as a clear favourite of the clash. We suggest betting on Italy’s victory with a handicap (-1.5) for 2.60.

Italy under Roberto Mancini beats everybody in a row and concedes an obscene amount of goals. In their last 23 games, the Blues have allowed six goals (0.26 average per game), while their current clean spell now stands at almost 800 minutes. The Crescent Stars have been quite good at attacking recently, but against modest opponents like Azerbaijan, Guinea and Moldova they have only scored four goals. With this in mind, a win to nil for Italy at odds of around 2.09 seems to be the best option for our prediction.

Ciro Immobile is Italy’s leading striker. He was not the most productive in the second part of the last season with Lazio as he scored a total of 20 goals, becoming the fifth top scorer in Serie A, and in five games of the Champions League, he noted the five goals. The 31-year-old has scored three goals in the last four games for the national team, so a bet on Ciro Immobile’s goal might be worth considering for around 2.40.