The Italians may well prove too strong for the Lynxes as the game progresses, but there is a lot of pressure on the Azzurri, who cannot afford any mistakes in Rome – and at 7/5, under 2.5 goals looks a good bet. While the Balkans side were hammered 7-0 by England at Old Trafford, that is the outlier in what has generally been a competitive qualification effort.

North Macedonia restricted Ukraine to two goals on their travels and held Italy to a 1-1 draw in Skopje. While Federico Chiesa and Nicolo Zaniolo are good forward options, the only seasoned striker in the squad is Gianluca Scamacca. Stephan El Shaarawy was handed a starting role against England, but the 31-year-old has never been a prolific goalscorer. Moise Kean is yet to score for Juventus this season. While there are talented players in the Azzurri line-up, they are clustered at the back and in midfield – and when you look at Italy’s attacking options, it is not a huge surprise that goals have been hard to come by on their travels. The Italians do have the edge in terms of squad depth and quality, but Spalletti’s side have only scored four goals in their three away Euro 2024 qualifiers, and they could only hit two against a Malta side that have conceded 18 times in Group C. These sides played out a 1-1 draw in Skopje and that game featured only six shots on target. Of course, Italy have a game in hand on the Blue and Yellows, but the 2020 European Champions failed to win in North Macedonia – and Friday’s clash with the Lynxes looks anything but straightforward. Spalletti’s side are six points adrift of group leaders England and three points behind Ukraine in the second qualifying spot.

The Italians’ Euro 2024 qualifying campaign started with a defeat to England in Naples and the Azzurri were also beaten by the Three Lions in the return fixture at Wembley. Luciano Spalletti’s men have slipped below England and Ukraine in the Group C standings and they cannot afford any mistakes at the Stadio Olimpico. Italy play host to North Macedonia in what is a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier for the Azzurri on Friday evening (7.45pm kick-off). Already claimed the CopyBet sign-up offer? Find more free bets from our expert’s rankings of the best betting sites in the UK.

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