Italy v Wales: Euro 2020 betting preview and selections as Group A concludes

The final games in Group A are played on Sunday as Italy, Wales, Switzerland and Turkey all battle to see who can claim the highest spot.
Wales train at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome ahead of their clash with Italy. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesWales train at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome ahead of their clash with Italy. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Wales train at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome ahead of their clash with Italy. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Italy have maximum points from their first two games after 3-0 wins against Turkey and Switzerland and lead the pack. Wales are second with four points and got over an edgy draw against the Swiss to beat a disappointing Turkey side. Switzerland will still be confident of gaining the win they need to potentially rise above Wales in second but it looks all over for Turkey who have zero points on the board and a minus five goal difference.

Both of these games will take place at 5pm with Italy facing Wales in Rome and Switzerland against Turkey in Baku.

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Selection for both the managers of Wales and Italy will be tricky as each side will have one eye on the knockout stages. Italy are through and all that will be determined from this game is if they finish first and play the runner-up in Group C or place second in which case the Azzurri would play the second placed country in Group B. Robert Mancini could rest stars such as Jorginho, Lorenzo Insigne or Ciro Immobile so they are prepared for the last 16. Marco Verratti has yet to play in this tournament but this could be an opportunity to see the fitness levels of the PSG midfielder as he recovers from injury.

If there were nerves and hesitation in Wales’ first match, these emotions were replaced with confidence and assurance against Turkey. Aaron Ramsey’s well timed run and delicate finish followed by Connor Roberts’ injury time strike won them the game but it was a complete team performance. Ramsey will want to play against the country of his club side Juventus and show to new manager Massimiliano Allegri that he can still compete at the highest level. Gareth Bale assisted both goals against Turkey and is back to his best for his country but will be eager to get his first goal of the competition before the culmination of the group stages.

Italy are 9/20 to win with Wales huge underdogs at 15/2. Given Italy’s dominance over Turkey and Switzerland in defence and attack then Wales will be hoping they aren’t on the end of a similar result. In Euro 2016, then Italy manager Antonio Conte did rotate heavily in the final group game of that tournament which meant Ireland gained a famous 1-0 win so it will be interesting to see if Mancini does the same. Bale is 3/1 to score anytime with Immobile 6/5 to get his third goal in as many games at the Stadio Olimpico. Ramsey is 8/1 and given his excellent movement against Turkey which produced more than one opportunity, he seems likely to have chances. Manuel Locatelli got his first ever brace in professional football for his country against Switzerland and is 9/2 to add to this.

Switzerland are down but not out of Euro 2020 and could still get into the best third place teams even if they narrowly beat Turkey. The Swiss will be hoping for another big win from Italy against Wales so they can make up the goal difference to gain second in the group to avoid a nervous wait over the next few days. Turkey manager Senol Gunes will have to find a way to galvanise his talented group but even to have a chance of getting into the last 16, it will take a historic win for the Turks to be in contention.

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For Vladimir Petkovic, this makes his decision easier in terms of a line-up. Breel Embolo, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri will all have to play as this is a must win. Switzerland are 8/11 to get the victory but the importance of the occasion getting to them is feasible and given the Swiss have never been a prolific side in front of goal, they will be looking at their forward players for inspiration. Shaqiri is 7/4 to score anytime with Embolo also at the same price to get his second of the tournament.

Turkey are 15/4 and are in need of goals to salvage their Euros and reputation. Burak Yilmaz hasn’t taken his club form with Lille in which we won Ligue 1 into this competition and is 21/10 to score at any point. Creative midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has also been a disappointment but watch out for his technically excellent set-piece deliveries in what will likely be Turkey’s final outing. Six of his eight assists for AC Milan last season come from free kicks or corners so if he can find the heads of centre-backs Caglar Soyuncu or Merih Demiral (both 20/1 to score anytime) then Turkey could leave the competition on a high.

Odds and Euros tips via bettingexpert.com.