Italy gamble their last chips to reach the 2018 World Cup tomorrow, but it’s not clear which system will be used against Sweden.
The first leg ended 1-0 in Solna on Friday evening, decided by a deflected Jakob Johansson effort, and the return is at San Siro on Monday at 19.45 GMT.
Coach Giampiero Ventura shelved his usual 4-2-4 approach for an Antonio Conte-style 3-5-2 in Sweden, but it did not pay off.
Changes are necessary anyway tomorrow, because Marco Verratti is suspended, so there could well be a move to 3-4-3.
Italy gamble their last chips to reach the 2018 World Cup tomorrow, but it’s not clear which system will be used against Sweden.
The first leg ended 1-0 in Solna on Friday evening, decided by a deflected Jakob Johansson effort, and the return is at San Siro on Monday at 19.45 GMT.
Coach Giampiero Ventura shelved his usual 4-2-4 approach for an Antonio Conte-style 3-5-2 in Sweden, but it did not pay off.
Changes are necessary anyway tomorrow, because Marco Verratti is suspended, so there could well be a move to 3-4-3.
This all depends on whether the BBC defence – Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini – can play two games in three days, especially after the Milan man fractured his nose on the end of Ola Toivonen’s elbow.
If the 3-4-3 is to be enacted, then Jorginho or Marco Parolo would be in midfield with Daniele De Rossi or Inter’s Roberto Gagliardini, as the Roma captain seemed tired in Solna.
Davide Zappacosta would step in with Matteo Darmian on the wings, with Antonio Candreva, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne.
It’s not quite the 4-3-3 that many are calling for, but is closer to that system than the one used by Ventura thus far.
Another alternative is a return to the 4-2-4 we saw throughout the qualification campaign, with Zappacosta of Chelsea stepping in for fatigued Barzagli at right-back, Darmian on the left.
Again, Jorginho and Gagliardini are pushing Parolo and De Rossi for the starting spots in midfield.
In this case, Eder – who is at home in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza due to his Inter status – is likely to start rather than either Andrea Belotti or Immobile.
Possible Italy line-ups
(4-2-4): Buffon; Zappacosta, Bonucci, Chiellini, Darmian; Jorginho (Parolo), Gagliardini (De Rossi); Candreva, Immobile, Eder, Insigne
(3-4-3): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Zappacosta, De Rossi (Gagliardini), Jorginho (Parolo), Darmian; Candreva, Immobile (Belotti), Insigne