After the heavy 0:3 defeat to Norway in their opening qualifying match, Italy is under serious pressure. The team is already nine points behind the group leader and six points behind the second place, which gives the right to participate in the playoffs. This puts additional emphasis on the upcoming match, where the "Azzurri" are expected not only to win, but to do it convincingly.
Problems for Moldova in defenseOpponent Moldova started the campaign with two heavy losses - 0:5 to Norway and a defeat with three goals conceded against Estonia. Particularly illustrative is the match against the Norwegians, in which the hosts allowed a total of 24 shots on their goal. Similar statistics clearly show how vulnerable Moldova's defense is.
Prediction: Convincing victory for ItalyItaly not only need this victory, but they also need to wash away the shame with more goals. I expect the team to impose control from the very beginning and to achieve a convincing success.
This text is an AI-assisted translation in English. Link to the original source in Bulgarian ➔