Italy and Northern Ireland meet in a World Cup qualification play-off semi-final tonight and could face Wales in the final next week
Northern Ireland face Italy in Bergamo tonight for a place in a World Cup play-off final (Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Italy and Northern Ireland face off tonight in a World Cup qualification play-off semi-final, with the winners facing either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in the final.
Italy will host with the match taking place at the New Balance Arena, home to Atalanta, in Bergamo.
Northern Ireland haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1986, with Euro 2016 being their last appearance at a major tournament.
Italy, four-time winners of the competition, are the highest-ranked team yet to qualify for this year’s edition and face significant expectation having famously failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups.
Should Northern Ireland get past Gennaro Gattuso’s men, they then face the prospect of playing another home nation in the final, Wales.
Here is everything you need to know about the clash.
What time does Italy vs Northern Ireland kick off?
The match starts at 7.45pm on Thursday, March 26, at the New Balance Arena, Bergamo.
Is the match on TV?
Yes, the match will be live on BBC Three in Wales and BBC One Northern Ireland, with coverage beginning at 7.05pm and 7pm respectively.
What about live streaming?
The game will be streamed on BBC iPlayer and on the BBC website.
Northern Ireland team news
Northern Ireland are without several key players, with captain Conor Bradley set to miss the rest of the season with a major knee injury. Sunderland’s Dan Ballard misses out with a hamstring injury and Alistair McCann is ruled out late with a knock.
With Bradley out of the squad, captaincy will likely fall to Trai Hume who captained the side for the first time in September.
Italy team news
Federico Chiesa and Gianluca Scamacca have withdrawn due to injury and both Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini are doubts.
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has been declared fit despite missing the recent Tyne-Wear derby.
What the managers have said?
Michael O’Neil addressed the challenge of facing a team with the stature of Italy.
“The expectation clearly lies with the home nation and the big nation, which is Italy,” he said.
“We have to not be intimidated by the reputation of the players that they have, and I don’t think we will be.”
He also referenced that the pressure of expectation on the Italians could contribute to the game.
“How they deal with all that [pressure] will be a big factor in the game and hopefully we can make the game very difficult,” he added.
Gennaro Gattuso is wary of Northern Ireland’s direct style of play.
“You need experience on the field, but tomorrow we must be ready to suffer when Northern Ireland systematically pump the ball into the box, remember that any free-kick will see their goalkeeper smack a long ball forward with eight or nine players showing incredible hunger fighting for the loose ball and rebound,” he said.
The former World Cup winner also acknowledged the importance of qualification after recent disappointments.
“The responsibility is not on the fans, they suffered two huge disappointments,” he added.
“This is not the time to talk about the past. We must go to this World Cup, because it is fundamental for us.
“The objective is to get back where we were for many years, and to do it as protagonists too.”