Italy begin the defence of their European crown as they take on Albania in their Euro 2024 opener. Three years on from beating England on penalties in the final at Wembley, the Azzurri are going under the radar in Germany, with their hopes of another deep run not helped by being drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ with Spain and Croatia.
Roberto Mancini’s departure last year means it is now former Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti leading his country, and it has been a mixed bag since he took charge. Qualification for this tournament was secured via their head-to-head record against Ukraine after a nervy goalless draw in their final match, and pre-tournament friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey did little to raise expectations.
Albania are competing in the Euros for the just the second time, having been knocked out in the group stage in 2016. They finished top of their qualifying group, ahead of the Czech Republic and Poland, and conceded just four goals in eight matches, a clear indication of what their approach will be this summer. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
