Ranked 17th in the FIFA ratings, Italy emphasise a cautious and controlled game, with tight man-marking and favour having a sweeper for the double line of defence. A highly technical team, they like to keep the ball on the floor and are purposeful and direct in possession.
They could prove a real threat in the tournament as they always look to move the ball forwards and are exceptionally quick to counter. While often the side who have less time on the ball, the Italians can convert in the danger zones.
Left-back Lisa Boattin is extremely fast and gets involved in the attacking third linking up with striker Barbara Bonansea who also poses a huge threat having scored 65 goals in 132 appearances for Champions League side Juventus.
The majority of the Italian national team have Champions League experience with AS Roma or Juventus. However centre midfielder Aurora Galli has featured for Everton in the Women’s Super League since 2021 so will have come up against England’s Lionesses domestically and knows what to expect.
Last time out:
The host nation last played Italy in April 2017 in a one-a-piece tie under Mark Sampson. Valentina Cernoia scored three minutes after Jodie Taylor gave England the lead and with Cernoia still in the Italian squad on the left flank at 31 years old, she will come up against familiar rivals in Alex Greenwood, Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright and Jordan Nobbs - who also played in that 2017 international friendly
They've recently scrapped the basic 4-4-2 formation and now favour a 4-3-3 approach in their caution to throw too many players higher up the field. It works well as Italy held Spain to another 1-1 draw last year in a pre-euros friendly.
Form:
Not willing to commit too many players in attack leaves them exposed to an attacking-defending segregation that led to an uninspiring European Championship run in the summer.
Italy finished bottom of their group on one point from the 1-1 draw against Iceland, but lost 5-1 to France and 1-0 to Belgium, overall conceding seven goals while only scoring two. However all was not lost, as they had the fifth-highest passing accuracy during the tournament at 81% - (defender Elena Linari ranked fourth in the entire tournament at 91.7% four places ahead of the highest-ranked player Alessia Russo at 91.2%).
England as a whole bested the Italian squad by 2% which could suggest their reason for the invitation to the Arnold Clark Cup. They offer a more direct but flair-filled style of play that is more cautious than the Korean Republic and Belgium. England will need to keep the pressure on and be more ruthless in possession. Against a potential back five (thanks to the sweeper role) Sarina Wiegman’s attackers need to exude creativity and keep the ball moving side to side to open up pockets - something Alessia Russo, Katie Zelem and Ella Toone had had to come up against domestically a few times this season already.
Possible starting XI for England:
Sarina Wiegman favours a 4-2-3-1 formation and against a 4-3-3 it offers a player overload both in attack and defence.
An extremely experienced back four, although Greenwood doesn't enjoy playing left back she has covered that spot domestically and is having one of her best seasons yet. Also, with the height, England could be less vulnerable in the air from crosses, especially down that left flank from Boattin.
Stanway and Walsh they’re a perfect match and play so well together - Walsh can read the game and spray the ball out wide or through to spark an attack before the Italians know what's hit them. With Stanway taking control of the middle of the park, can offer that long-range spectacular shot if Italy steps off her and looks to defend the through ball.
The top four is sheer creativity at its best. All four are top WSL quality, can run at players, deliver crosses and finish in all manners of situations.
Potential substitutions: Jess Park for Russo, Jordan Nobbs for Toone, Chloe Kelly and Ebony Salmon for Daly and Hemp to rest legs and offer another level of speed into the mix.
