Final match against Ukraine: will Italy miss another major tournament?

class=”sc-29f61514-0 fwWrRV”>

Will Italy miss another major football tournament after the 2018 and 2022 World Cups? Possible! The big European Championship qualifying final against Ukraine will take place in Leverkusen (De) on Monday.

Due to the Russian war of aggression, the game must be played on neutral territory. And the Ukrainians are particularly motivated. “We will do everything we can to satisfy our soldiers who are back home,” Donetsk defender Valeriy Bondar (24) said before the match.

The Ukrainians, with stars such as Chelsea player Mykhaylo Mudryk (22) or Arsenal strategist Oleksandr Zinchenko (26), certainly do not have to hide. Nevertheless, they fulfill the role of the underdog.

Italy has better cards

Italy, current European champions, is the favorite on Monday. Partly due to the better starting position. Because the Southern Europeans won the first leg against Ukraine (2:1) and have the better goal difference, they would certainly qualify for the 2024 European Championship with a draw.

But what scares the Italians is that they are not the favorites. We have known this since the World Cup play-offs in Qatar, when Italy was sensationally eliminated by football dwarf North Macedonia. Or from the World Cup qualifying before that, when as favorites they only finished second in the Swiss group.

In the event of a defeat against Ukraine, Squadra Azzurra could still qualify via the play-offs. These will be played from March 21 to 26, 2024. Luciano Spaletti (64), who took over Italy after his championship win with Napoli on September 1, 2023, is not thinking that far ahead: “We are looking at the next match – and we will be ready for it, believe me.” (par)

Source : Blick