It’s been a tough Euro 2016 qualifying tournament for Italy, who sit in second place after a couple of draws. They’re trailing Croatia, and they travel to Split to face them on Friday.
Croatia vs. Italy, Euro 2016 qualifying: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Vatreni have a lead in their qualifying group, and they’d like to extend it at home against the Azzurri.
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Thanks to the expansion of the Euro 2016 field, Italy aren’t actually in much trouble. The top two teams from every qualifying group advance, and Norway don’t quite look up to the challenge of taking down one of the current top-two teams. Bulgaria have already dropped too many points to pose any kind of threat to these teams either.
After a long and tough season, the Italy team might not have their Juventus stars at 100 percent. Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo are in the squad, but don’t expect all of them to start. Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini have been left off the squad with injuries. On the other side, Ivan Rakitic is likely exhausted, but Croatia will still be expecting him to lead their midfield in this game.
Match date/time: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia
TV: ESPN2 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sky red button (U.K.), Sportsnet regional (Canada), HRT 1 (Croatia), RAI Uno (Italy)
Online: Watch ESPN (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.), Sportsnet World now (Canada)
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