With less than ten days to go before Qatar 2022 kicks off, we will see Albania vs Italy as one of the last matches in the round of international friendlies ahead of the World Cup. In this clash, everyone will have their eyes on Italy, despite the team missing the next World Cup.
Albania, on the one hand, although not qualifying for the World Cup, has a squad with several young players that are members of big European teams. This squad currently seeks consolidation, with the goal of this generation delivering numerous victories.
On the other hand, Italy, a World Cup-winning team, failed to qualify for the second consecutive time. However, it has a number of well-known players, such as Marco Verratti, who will be able to participate in this game. Keep reading for JefeBet‘s preview of this important friendly.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Albania vs Italy International Friendly on November 16, 2022
- Where: Air Albania Stadium, Tirana, Albania
- When: Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 12:00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline: Albania (+575) / Draw (+310) / Italy (-210)
- Unibet Asian Handicap: Albania (+1, -106), Italy (-1, -125)
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (+100) / Under (-145)
- Both teams score: Yes (+125) / No (-175).
All other odds shown are courtesy of BetMGM.
[the_ad_placement id=”sports-futbol”]
Betting on Albania
The Albanian national team features great players from prestigious clubs such as Roma, Southampton, Lazio, Atalanta, and Inter Milan. As mentioned, these are young players, but experienced enough.
This team has drawn three of its last five games, while losing the other two. Unfortunately, their results have not been as expected, and their most recent defeat was against Qatar on November 9. Before that, they faced Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Israel and Estonia. They haven’t won an international match since November 2021, which may cause morale to be low, but the desire to win is sky-high.
Possible lineup (4-4-2): Etrit Berisha, Besir Demiri, Adrian Ismajli, Ermir Lenjani, Elseid Hysajs, Ylber Ramadani; Amir Abrashi, Kristjan Asllani, Keidi Bare, Myrto Uzuni, Armando Broja.
Betting on Italy
Italy have fared better in their last five matches, all of which have come in the UEFA Nations League. They have three wins (two against Hungary and one against England), one draw (also against England) and one loss (against Germany). These results earned them both a place in the top four of this championship and a spot in the finals, which will be held in June 2023.
Perhaps, they may head into this match with another disposition. Another fact is that they have outperformed Albania in all three meetings — two in 2017 and one in 2014. In their head-to-head, Albania has scored two goals and Italy three.
Probable lineup (4-5-1): Alex Meret, Giorgio Scalvini, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Bastoni, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Marco Verratti, Nicolò Barella, Federico Dimarco, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Vincenzo Grifo.
JefeBet Prediction
As it is, the team most likely to come out on top in the match is Italy. In the past, they have comfortably defeated Albania, and they have recently qualified for the finals of the UEFA Nations League. This allows them to go into the match with confidence, because they have results to back up these feelings.
Prediction: Italy wins 2-1.