Italy kick off their campaign at the Women’s World Cup with a difficult clash against an Argentina side on the rise.
The match between le Azzurre and la Albiceleste kicks off at 07:00 UK time at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
Milena Bertolini’s side have looked exciting in their warm-up to the World Cup, picking up friendly wins over Colombia and New Zealand, and drawing to Morocco.
Four years ago, the Azzurre reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in France, an impressive result that perfectly displayed the growth of women’s football in the Italian peninsula.
Things were a little more negative at Euro 2022, however, and Italy crashed out in the group stages after picking up just one point in their three group games, piling the pressure on Bertolini.
The Azzurre – 16th in the FIFA world rankings – will know that a victory is key in their opening game against Argentina (28th in the rankings), as they’ll likely be on the backfoot in their second group outing against one of the tournament favourites Sweden (ranked 3rd).
Whilst Italy are hoping to bounce back after their disappointing European Championship campaign, it’s an entirely different story for Argentina.
The Albiceleste shined at the Copa América Femenina last summer, picking up a third-place finish. Germán Portanova’s side lost to hosts Colombia in the semi-final but found a modicum of redemption in the third-place match, beating Paraguay 3-1.
Argentina have qualified for the Women’s World Cup three times in the past, with the most recent being in 2019, and they’ve never progressed past the group stages, something they’re desperate to change this summer.
They won all but one of their friendlies heading into the tournament in Oceania, only losing to Venezuela 2-1 as they beat teams like Chile, New Zealand and Peru.
Considering the makeup of this group – with 54th ranked South Africa closing out Group G – this match could be the decisive one for deciding which team will join Sweden in the knock-out stages of the 2023 World Cup.
The pressure is immediately on Italy, then, but victory for Bertolini’s side may spell the start of an exciting campaign on the world stage for an Azzurre side desperate to prove themselves.
Probable line-ups for Italy vs Argentina:
Italy (4-3-3): Durante; Di Guglielmo, Linari, Salvai, Boattin; Dragoni, Greggi, Giugliano; Beccari, Giacinti, Bonansea.
Argentina (4-2-3-1): Correa; Cruz Navarrete, Mayorga, Cometti, Stabile; Ippolito, Benitez; Rodriguez, Banini, Bonseguendo; Larroquete.