Italy have a consistent problem that Luciano Spalletti needs to deal with, as their only clean sheets in 2023 were both against Malta.
The Azzurri take on Ukraine on neutral turf in Leverkusen on Monday at 19.45 GMT.
All they need is to avoid defeat in order to book their ticket to the EURO 2024 tournament in Germany next summer, thanks to a superior head-to-head record.
That is because they beat Ukraine 2-1 at San Siro on September 12.
Spalletti took over from Roberto Mancini in September and has so far been unable to stem the serious problems in defence.
Of the nine competitive matches played in 2023, the only two clean sheets were both against minnows Malta.
That means they conceded 13 goals in the other seven matches, a terrible record for a football culture that had historically been based on a strong defence.
The two let in against North Macedonia in Friday’s 5-2 result were particularly galling, as they put a 3-0 lead in doubt.
There are numerous injuries affecting the choices at centre-back, including Alessandro Bastoni, Rafael Toloi and Giorgio Scalvini.
It wasn’t much better in 2022, as while there were three clean sheets (two of them against England), they conceded 16 in the other eight matches.
That included a 3-0 hammering to Argentina in the commemorative match between the European and South American Champions, and a 5-2 Nations League loss in Germany.
ITALY HAVE PROBLEMS DEFENDING, WHICH I THOUGHT I NEVER SAY, AS WE WERE FAMOUS FOR OUR DEFENDING AND NOT CONCEDEDING GOALS TO ANYONE. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS EVEN IF WE BEAT UKRAINE TONIGHT AND QUALIFY AS DEFENDING CHAMPIONS, FOR NEXT YEAR.
I agree the Azzurri have issues in defence, but we must play proactive football. I am tired of scoring a goal and then sitting back in defence. If you defend for 80 mins in your own half it is inevitable that eventually you will concide. I prefer the team to play more open and to score more goals than the opposition. 5-2 doesn’t seem to be a bad score line.