The FIFA World Cup is never the same without four-time world champions Italy, but the Azzurri are facing the genuine ignominy of a third successive FIFA World Cup in which they do not qualify.
The Italians lost playoff ties against Sweden in 2017 and then North Macedonia in 2022 to miss out on qualification for the tournaments in Russia and Qatar, and now they head into the rest of this campaign already nine points behind Norway as a result of a 3-0 loss to the Norwegians in June, albeit they do have two games in hand.
Luciano Spalletti has since departed the national team role and been replaced by former AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, with his first game in charge being the visit of Estonia to the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
The Sporting News previews this one with the latest betting odds, tips and predictions.
Italy vs. Estonia prediction
Italy do have some intriguing players coming through the ranks, and they should be able to get themselves a comfortable victory here, albeit question marks remain over the quality of Gattuso’s coaching.
The Italians are valued as the heavy favourites with the bookmakers, priced up at 1/16 with Sky Bet, whilst Estonia are underdogs at 22/1 with the draw at 9/1.
The Sporting News' Score Prediction: Italy 3-0 Estonia
- Italy to beat Estonia in Bergamo is viewed as a 94.1% possibility according to Sky Bet.
- Learn more about reading odds, different types of bets and the best online betting sites through our how to bet on football guide
Italy vs. Estonia expected lineups
Here's how we think these two sides will line up in Bergamo.
Italy predicted lineup to play Estonia
(3-5-2, right to left)
- Donnarumma (GK) — Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori — Cambiaso, Locatelli, Barella, Tonali, Cambiaso — Kean, Retegui
Injured: Di Gregorio, Gabbia, Udogie, Ricci, Lucca
Suspended: None
Estonia predicted lineup to play Italy
(4-4-1-1, right to left)
- Hein (GK) — Schjonning-Larsen, Paskotsi, Kuusk, Saliste — Kait, Palumets, Shein, Sinyavskiy — Kristal — Sappinen
Injured: Hussar
Suspended: None
Italy vs. Estonia latest odds, correct score betting
Our 3-0 prediction is at good odds with Ladbrokes, but there are plenty of other possible score lines that are worth looking at for this one. Here's a look at some of the most likely outcomes according to the bookmakers.
Result | Odds* |
Italy 3-0 | |
Italy 2-0 | |
Italy 4-0 | |
Italy 1-0 | |
Italy 2-1 |
*Click odds to bet direct with our selected partners. Odds correct at time of publish.
Back your correct score pick with Sky Bet for £50 in FREE bets when you bet £10 on accas
Italy vs. Estonia team news
- The Italians do have some good talent, particularly in central midfield and central defence, and the likelihood is that Gattuso names a 3-5-2 to accommodate the likes of both Riccardo Calafiori and Federico Dimarco.
- The Estonians have a limited squad with a lot of reliance on forward Rauno Sappinen to provide any sort of spark in attack, with Karl Hein in goal perhaps their key man.
Italy vs. Estonia Bet Builder tips
Our bet builder for this game is for Italy to win with a -2.5 handicap (8/11), as well as Mateo Retegui to have two or more shots on target (2/5), Nicolo Barella to have a shot on target (4/6), over 8.5 corners (4/9) but Estonia to have three shots on target themselves (5/4), which comes to 11.27/1 with Sky Bet.
You can check out the latest odds and bet direct with our selected partners using the bet builder tool below.
How to watch Italy vs. Estonia: Live stream, TV channel
- Date: Friday, September 5
- Venue: Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy
- Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
- TV/Stream: Amazon Prime