It’s all-change for Italy, as Mattia Destro, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Alessandro Diamanti lead the way in tonight’s World Cup qualifier against Malta.
It’s all-change for Italy, as Mattia Destro, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and Alessandro Diamanti lead the way in tonight’s World Cup qualifier against Malta.
The Azzurri were held to a 2-2 draw in Bulgaria on Friday evening and are back on the field at 19.45 UK time at the Stadio Braglia in Modena.
Cesare Prandelli has shelved the 3-5-2 system and returned to a 4-3-1-2 with Diamanti behind Roma strikers Destro and Osvaldo.
Antonio Nocerino steps in for the injured Daniele De Rossi, while Mattia Cassani and Federico Peluso replace Christian Maggio and Emanuele Giaccherini.
Malta started their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 home defeat to Armenia last week.
These sides have met four times so far and Italy won all of them, scoring 15 goals and conceding two.
Italy: Buffon; Cassani, Barzagli, Bonucci, Peluso; Nocerino, Pirlo, Marchisio; Diamanti; Osvaldo, Destro
Malta: Hogg; Borg, Dimech, A Agius, Muscat; Herrera, Sciberras, Briffa, Bogdanovic; Mifsud, Schembri
Ref: Manukka (FIN)