Fulham's Craven Cottage hosts Italy's first pre-World Cup friendly on Saturday, with the Azzurri facing off against the Republic of Ireland. Coach Cesare Prandelli looks set to experiment with his team selection for the match, with a handful of players set to be given the chance to prove they're worthy of a spot in the final 23-man selection.
Italy vs. Ireland, World Cup friendly 2014: Preview, TV schedule and how to watch online
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli looks set to experiment with his lineup in Italy’s pre-World Cup friendly against Ireland on Saturday.
Claudio Villa
Young Torino full-back Matteo Darmian will likely make his first international appearance from the start, while Parma’s central defender Gabriel Paletta, the Borussia Dortmund-bound forward Ciro Immobile and the returning Giuseppe Rossi are also all tipped to make Prandelli’s starting 11.
World Cup
Italy haven’t won an international match since last September, and will look to put a swift end to their five-match barren streak. Ireland, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, haven’t tasted victory since November, and lost 2-0 when these sides last met in the group stages of Euro 2012.
Projected lineups
Italy: Salvatore Sirigu; Mattia De Sciglio, Gabriel Paletta, Leonardo Bonucci, Matteo Darmian; Claudio Marchisio, Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti; Riccardo Montolivo; Giuseppe Rossi, Ciro Immobile.
Ireland: David Forde; Stephen Ward, Damien Delaney, John O’Shea, Séamus Coleman; Stephen Quinn, Glenn Whelan, Marc Wilson, Jonathan Walters; Kevin Doyle; Shane Long.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 7:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Craven Cottage, London, England
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. and Canada - English), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), Premier Sports (U.K.), RAI Uno (Italy), Setanta Sports 1, Setanta Sports Ireland (Ireland).
Online: beIN Sports Play (U.S. and Canada)
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