Italy give Giovanni Di Lorenzo his debut, with Nicolò Zaniolo, Andrea Belotti, Federico Bernardeschi and Vincenzo Grifo among those stepping in against Liechtenstein.

The Euro 2020 qualifier kicks off in Vaduz at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

You can follow the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

Italy give Giovanni Di Lorenzo his debut, with Nicolò Zaniolo, Andrea Belotti, Federico Bernardeschi and Vincenzo Grifo among those stepping in against Liechtenstein.

The Euro 2020 qualifier kicks off in Vaduz at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

You can follow the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

The Azzurri have already booked for spot at the tournament next summer with a 100 per cent record after seven games, but can make history this evening.

Roberto Mancini could equal the all-time record set by Vittorio Pozzo in 1938-39 of nine consecutive Italy victories.

Federico Chiesa and Danilo D’Ambrosio were sent home due to injuries after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Greece in Rome.

The shortage of right-backs means Napoli’s summer signing Giovanni Di Lorenzo gets his senior Italy debut and is thrown straight into the starting XI.

Salvatore Sirigu, Gianluca Mancini, Alessio Romagnoli and Cristiano Biraghi also come in to the defence.

Roma midfielders Zaniolo and Bryan Cristante join Marco Verratti, while Andrea Belotti is flanked by Federico Bernardeschi and German-born Grifo.

Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali is expected to get a run-out in the second half, but Marco Verratti is the only player remaining from the XI that started against Greece on Saturday.

It’s a special game for Belotti, who has put three of his total six Italy goals past Liechtenstein.

These nations crossed paths three times before, with the Azzurri scoring 15 goals and conceding 0, including a 6-0 thrashing in Parma back in March.

Liechtenstein held Armenia to a 1-1 draw here on Saturday, their second point of the qualifying campaign after a 1-1 result away to Greece.

The goalscorer was substitute Yanik Frick, the son of former Hellas Verona striker Mario Frick, and he is again on the bench with his younger brother Noah.

There were doubts around Andreas Malin, who bruised his foot at the weekend, and he is benched with a move to a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Midfielder Sandro Wieser is out of action after requiring surgery on a knee cartilage issue.

Liechtenstein: B Buchel; Rechsteiner, Kaufmann, Hofer, Göppel; M Buchel; Yildiz, Polverino, Hasler, Salanovic; Gubser

Liechtenstein bench: Majer, Lo Russo, Brandle, Malin, Kardesoglu, Sele, Y Frick, N Frick, Meier, Eberle, Frommelt, Wolfinger

Italy: Sirigu; Di Lorenzo, G Mancini, Romagnoli, Biraghi; Zaniolo, Cristante, Verratti; Bernardeschi, Belotti, Grifo

Italy bench: Meret, Gollini, Izzo, Spinazzola, Jorginho, Insigne, Tonali, Acerbi, Immobile, Barella, Bonucci, El Shaarawy

Ref: Treimanis (LVA)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector