There are teams with bigger stars and flashier players, but Italy have looked dominant so far at Euro 2020, and appear capable of making a deep run.
It’s time to talk about Italy. After beating Switzerland 3-0 in Rome on Wednesday night, Roberto Mancini’s men are the first to book their place in the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 but they are already looking like a team who believe they can go an awful lot further than that. This may not be a group packed with the superstars boasted by major tournament squads of the past but they are, crucially, a team. And a confident, well-drilled one at that. While lots of the money has gone on France, Belgium or England to lift the trophy at Wembley on July 11, Italy’s odds are steadily shortening. They play Wales at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to decide who finishes top of Group A ahead of a possible last-16 tie against Austria or Ukraine and then a blockbuster quarterfinal with in all likelihood Belgium. By then Marco Verratti should have recovered from injury but Italy have been so impressive in their opening two games that the talismanic Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has barely been missed. — Euro 2020 on ESPN: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only) — European Soccer Pick ‘Em: Compete to win $10,000 — Euro 2020 bracket and fixture schedule Mancini’s only concern at the moment is the injury that forced off captain Giorgio Chiellini early on against Switzerland, although the 36-year-old’s hamstring problem was not severe enough to keep him from leaping up from the bench to celebrate Manuel Locatelli’s fabulously worked opening goal midway through the first half.
