USMNT vs Italy: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview
The Azzurri are seeking to bounce back after failing to qualify to the Nations League finals when they meet the Americans in Belgium
The U.S. national team will complete its 2018 calendar with a friendly international against Italy in Genk, Belgium.
Neither team has had a successful year, having been high-profile absentees from the World Cup in Russia, while serious strides have yet to be made about restoring their respective reputations in the game.
The USMNT were outclassed 3-0 by England at Wembley on Thursday, while the Azzurri missed out on the playoff stages of the Nations League following a scoreless draw with Portugal on Saturday.
Tuesday’s meeting, therefore, offers both squads the opportunity to finish a complicated year on a high.
| Game | USA vs Italy |
| Date | Tuesday, November 20 |
| Time | 7:45pm BST/2:45pm ET |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes/Fox Sports 1 | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Sky Sports Red Button and can be streamed online via the Sky Go app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Red Button | Sky Go |
| Position | USA squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Guzan, Horvath, Klinsmann |
| Defenders | Yedlin, Miazga, Carter-Vickers, Brooks, Moore, Villafana, Cannon, Zimmerman, Long |
| Midfielders | Adams, Delgado, Pulisic, Weah, Lletget, Green, Trapp, Acosta, Gall |
| Forwards | Sargent, Wood |
Manager Dave Sarachan has named the youngest starting XI in the modern era for the United States, with an average age of 22 years and 71 days.
Weston McKennie has left the squad because of injury, as has Kenny Saief, but Josh Sargent is in the starting XI after overcoming ankle trouble.
USA starting XI: Horvath; Zimmerman, Long, Carter-Vickers; Moore, Acosta, Delgado, Adams, Cannon; Pulisic, Sargent
| Position | Italy squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Sirigu, Donnarumma, Cragno |
| Defenders | Chiellini, Bonucci, De Sciglio, Florenzi, Romagnoli, Rugani, Biraghi, Palmieri |
| Midfielders | Verratti, Jorginho, Pellegrini, Gagliardini, Barella, Sensi, Tonali |
| Forwards | Immobile, Insigne, Chiesa, Berardi, Lasagna, Politano, Grifo, Pavoletti |
Significant changes have been made to the Italy starting XI for this encounter, with almost a complete overhaul of the team.
Indeed, Leonardo Bonucci, Marco Verratti and Federico Chiesa are the only three players to start this game who featured from the outset against Portugal on Saturday.
Italy starting XI: Sirigu; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Acerbi, Emerson Palmieri; Sensi, Barella, Verratti; Berardi, Lasagna, Chiesa
Italy have been priced at 7/13 favourites by bet365. A draw is priced at 21/10, while the USA can be backed at 12/5.
Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
The USMNT will end 2018 with much to ponder. Their failure to qualify for the World Cup in Russia in the summer still hangs heavy around their shoulders, yet a failure to appoint a permanent head coach has left the side in a state of limbo.
Accordingly, they have struggled to move forward in any cohesive manner, although interim boss Dave Sarachan has spent the last 12 months blooding young players with a view to the future of the team.
He has been content with his record – three wins, three draws and four defeats – but was disappointed with the limp display against England at Wembley and has promised improvements.
“Over the course of 12 months, in all the matches we’ve played, we’ve made it somewhat hard on teams, whether it’s getting in on tackles or blocking passing lanes or making it difficult for teams to really create a lot of chances,” he said. “I thought in the England game we lost that element a little bit.
“We’ve addressed that, being a little more of a risk-taking team and being more aggressive, not in a way to foul but just making it hard on the opponent. I think that’s what we’re looking for.”
Italy counterpart Roberto Mancini is also looking for an improvement, though on the offensive side of things, having seen his side score only three times in five matches since the summer.
“Of course it is a problem because, if you do not score, you do not win, but between the games against Ukraine, Poland and Portugal, we have created 20 chances,” he argued.
“Against Portugal, for example, the goalkeeper made great saves. There is not much more we can do to score, except throw it in! I think it was a matter of being unlucky.
“It will turn sooner or later. The important thing is that we continue to create and play well in attack.”
With just two wins in eight fixtures, though, the pressure is already beginning to slowly mount on the former Manchester City boss, who has rapidly discovered the size of the task at hand with a promising squad that lacks experience.
Failure to win on Tuesday would be another unwelcome blow to his reputation.
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