Italy vs United States 21/11/18

21 November 2018

Italy and the United States are set for a face-to-face meeting at the Luminus Arena in Genk, as the CONCACAF-based side look to end a 3-game winless streak.

After a scoreless draw with Portugal on home soil, Gli Azzurri remained second in their respective UEFA Nations League group, leaving Poland 4 points behind. La Nazionale had failed to qualify for the World Cup, which ultimately cost Giampiero Ventura his job. However, Roberto Mancini, who replaced Luigi Di Biagio (interim coach), has so far struggled to revive the national team. In the last seven meetings, Italy have secured just one triumph, having played out four draws while being defeated two times in the process. Moreover, Mancini’s players haven’t scored more than one goal ever since a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia back in May. Additionally, before a 1-0 win over Poland during the previous international break, the 4-time World Cup champions have failed to keep a clean sheet eight times in a row.

Meanwhile, the situation in the United States team is everything but different. The Stars and Stripes also had to skip the World Cup after finishing 5th in the CONCACAF confederation, behind the likes of Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras. The USMNT have featured in ten games in 2018, having secured three victories while playing out four draws and suffering four defeats in the process. Moreover, David Sarachan’s players have lost three out of the previous five friendly meetings, including the one against England last week. The Yanks have also failed to keep a clean sheet in six out of the past seven matches, while missed out on finding the back of the net on two occasions in that period.

Provisional line-up – Italy:

Gk: Gianluigi Donnarumma Defense: Bonucci – Rugani – De Sciglio – Biraghi Midfield: Verratti – Jorginho – Lorenzo Pellegrini Attack: Insigne – Politano – Chiesa

Provisional line-up – United States:

Gk: Guzan Defense: Brooks – Miazga – Yedlin – Villafana Midfield: McKennie – Kellyn Acosta – Wil Trapp Attack: Pulisic – Weah – Wood