Finalissima 2022: Argentina vs Italy Preview, Team News, Possible Line-ups, Prediction
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Argentina will lock horns with Italy on Wednesday in the Wembley Stadium, England which marks the battle between the 2021 Copa America Winner and the 2020 Euro Cup winner. This is the first time that the Euro Cup Champion and the Copa America winner will be facing each other in The Finalissima in a neutral venue on Wednesday, 1st June 2022.
Italy evolved as the winner of the 2020 Euro Cup as they beat England 3-2 in the same stadium on penalties, whereas, Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final 2021 to take home the cup after three defeats in the final to Chile.
Italy has lost each of their last three friendly matches against Argentina, with their most recent competitive meeting being in the 1990 World Cup when Argentina won 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the semi-finals.
Argentina vs Italy – Preview
Italy emerged as the Euro Cup winner in 2020 after they beat England on penalties which saw the Azurris win only their second cup in their history. In the knockout rounds of last summer’s Euro Cup, Italy defeated Austria, Belgium, and Spain before defeating England on penalties in the final after a 1-1 draw.
But though they won the European Championship last year, they will be missing the World Cup yet again as they failed to qualify during the playoffs which saw Portugal take the place in the tournament this year.
Lionel Messi-led Argentina beat Brazil in last year’s Copa America Final 1-0 as they went on to win the title for the first time since 1993. The South American team advanced to the final after beating Ecuador and Colombia in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.
They also qualified for the 2022 World Cup after an undefeated qualification campaign. They haven’t lost in any tournament since July 2019, so they should be confident going into Wednesday’s clash against the European giants.
Argentina vs Italy- Team News
Giorgio Chiellini will be featuring in his last match for the Azzurri after having a memorable run in his international career. Federico Chiesa, Immobile, Gaetano Castrovilli, and Rafael Toloi, are expected to start from the bench while Berardi and Pinaminto are out due to injury. Jorginho and Verratti will lead the midfield, and Insigne and Zaniolo will start up front.
Lionel Messi will return to action as the captain of the national team and he will be joined by the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Di Maria, Lo Celso, etc. Alexis Mac Allister of Brighton & Hove Albion is also included in the squad, while Nehuen Perez and Marcos Senesi will be seeking to make their debut appearances for the national team in London.
Argentina vs Italy- Possible Line-ups
Argentina Possible XI:
GK- Emiliano Martinez;
Defenders- Pezzella, Tagliafico, Otamendi, Acuna;
Midfielders- De Paul, Rodriguez, Lo Celso;
Forwards- Messi, L Martinez, Dybala;
Italy Possible XI:
GK- Donnarumma;
Defenders- Bonucci, Chiellini, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola;
Midfielders- Verratti, Jorginho, Barella;
Forwards- Insigne, Belotti, Locatelli;
Argentina vs Italy- Prediction
With Lionel Messi on the side, Argentina will have an upper hand in the match but Italy’s defense has all the experience in the world with the likes of Bonucci and Chiellini.
When both teams faced each other previously, all were friendlies with Argentina winning them all. Italy has several match-winning players while Argentina has young talents combined with experienced players which makes it a perfect combo. Italy will be the underdogs in the match but the competition will be an interesting one as both the teams will be facing each other in a competitive match since 1990.
Prediction- Argentina 1-0 Italy
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Aakash Sadhukhan
(178 Articles Published)