How will Italy line up at UEFA Euro 2020?

Italy qualified for Euro 2016 with a 3–1 win over Azerbaijan on October 10, 2015; the result meant Italy had gone 50 games without losing in European qualifying. With a 2–1 win over Norway three days later, Italy topped their Euro 2016 qualifying group with 24 points, four points ahead of Croatia in second place.

Italy, however, was not seeded first in the first pot, as it was in the 2014 World Cup group stage draw. In Group E, Italy was tied with Belgium, Sweden, and the Republic of Ireland.

After a 2–0 home win against Greece on October 12, 2019, Italy qualified for Euro 2020 with three matches to spare.

Italy finished Group J with ten wins in ten matches on November 18, becoming only the sixth and seventh national teams to qualify for a European Championship with a perfect record, following France (1992 and 2004), Czech Republic (2000), Germany, Spain (both 2012), and England (2016).

In reaction to the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, UEFA announced on March 17, 2020, that Euro 2020 would be postponed by one year. Italy finished first in their 2020–21 UEFA Nations League group on November 18, 2020, with a 2–0 away win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, qualifying for the tournament's Finals. Before getting into the Italy Euro 2020 lineup article, let's check out the fixtures for Italy.

(All times are based on central Europe)

Friday 11 June (21:00): 

Turkey vs Italy

 (Rome)

Wednesday 16 June (21:00):  

Italy vs Switzerland

(Rome)

Sunday 20 June (18:00): 

Italy vs Wales

 (Rome)

How will Italy line up at UEFA Euro 2020?

Italy would be using the 4-3-3 formation. During the 1960s and 1970s, Italy,

, and Uruguay used a staggered 4–3–3 formation with a defensive midfielder (typically numbered four or six) and two attacking midfielders (numbered eight and ten). The Italian 4–3–3 was essentially a modification of WM in which one of the two wing halves was converted to a libero.

With that in mind, Let’s take a look at the full list of the players who got the chance to be part of the team for this tournament.

• Goalkeepers

  : Salvatore Sirigu, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret

• Defenders

  : Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Florenzi, Francesco Acerbi, Emerson Palmieri, Leonardo Spinazzola, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Rafael Toloi

• Midfielders

  : Bryan Cristante, Jorginho, Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Manuel Locatelli, Stefano Sensi

Forwards

: Andrea Belotti, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa, Domenico Berardi,

Sportmob has chosen 11 players from the list above as its prediction of the starting eleven of the Italy Euro 2020 lineup.

We should emphasize the word prediction because players mentioned on this list may not make it into the final 11-man squad and the manager is the only one who will decide who gets the chance to play and who will not. Now without further ado let's jump into Sportmob’s prediction of the

Italy Euro 2020 squad

.

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma

Starting with the most crucial position in football, we have chosen Donnarumma to be our first nominee for Italy Euro 2020 squad.

Donnarumma is widely regarded as Gianluigi Buffon's successor. He has long been regarded as one of Italy's most exciting prospects and one of the most promising young footballers of his generation.

has good responses and is efficient at stopping penalties despite his towering and imposing frame. Donnarumma's shot-stopping skills and speed when sprinting off his line to meet opponents in one-on-one scenarios have also been commended by Matt Jones.

At the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Donnarumma was the starting goalkeeper for Italy's under-17 team.

Donnarumma did not make Antonio Conte's final team for the 2016 UEFA European Championship, despite being expected to play. Manager Luigi Di Biagio named him to the Italy under-21 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in June 2017.

RB: Alessandro Florenzi

is a tenacious, tactically astute, and well-rounded player with a wide range of skills. Although he began his career as a central midfielder, he is a box-to-box player capable of playing anywhere in midfield, and he has recently been deployed as a winger, as well as an offensive full-back or wing-back on either flank, but he prefers the right flank.

This player is the kind that the manager can rely on, that’s why he made it into our Italy squad for Euro 2021 list.

Florenzi was a member of Italy's under-21 squad at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel, where Azzurrini lost 4–2 to Spain in the final. Florenzi's only goal in the tournament came in a 4–0 victory over the host nation in the group stage.

Florenzi was chosen in Antonio Conte's first team for the upcoming European qualifying matches on August 30, 2014. He was included in Conte's 23-man Italy team for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31, 2016.

CB: Leonardo Bonucci

is well recognized for his passing range, technique, and ability to attack from the back with long passes. On top of his ball skills, he is a tall, mobile, and strong defender with outstanding anticipation, effective tackling, and an ability to read the game and mark opponents.

Bonucci has a lot of experience in Euro tournaments and despite his age, he can outperform a million younger footballers. This is the reason that we have nominated him as one of the 11 players of the Italy Euro 2020 squad.

Bonucci capped off a strong 2011–12 season by securing a spot in the final 23-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2012, where he helped Italy reach the tournament final, but they were defeated 4–0 by defending champions Spain.

As Italy advanced to the finals, he started all but one of the matches. Bonucci was included in Conte's 23-man Italy team for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31, 2016. In a 2–0 win over Belgium in the opening group encounter of Euro 2016, he set up Emanuele Giaccherini's goal, Italy's first of the match, with a long pass; he was later booked for a tactical foul.

Bonucci earned his 92nd international appearance in a 2–0 home win over Greece on October 12, 2019, under manager Roberto Mancini, passing Alessandro Del Piero as the tenth-most capped player in Italian national team history; the result clinched Italy's qualification for Euro 2020.

On November 15, he made his 94th appearance for Italy, in a 3–0 away win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a Euro 2020 qualifier, tying Giacinto Facchetti for tenth most caps in Italian history.

Let’s see who is the next contender for the

Italy squad for Euro 2021

.

CB: Giorgio Chiellini

Due to his height, aerial skill, athleticism, and strength,

began his professional career as a defensive-minded left-back, but gradually established himself as an aggressive, courageous, muscular, and hard-tackling center-back, with a predilection for scoring headers from set-pieces.

He can play in a three- or four-man defense and is a flexible, reliable, commanding, and dependable left-footed defender with good awareness, positional sense, and the ability to read the game.

At the age of 20, he made his debut for the Italian national team against Finland on November 17, 2004, under Marcello Lippi. He has been a regular member of the squad since 2007, and he scored his first goal for Italy on November 21, 2007, in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match in Modena against the Faroe Islands.

Chiellini was called up to Italy's squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament under manager Roberto Donadoni, and injured captain Fabio Cannavaro in a training session, causing Cannavaro to miss the tournament. He was ruled out of the first game against the Netherlands, which Italy lost 3–0.

Chiellini scored a first-half header in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Azerbaijan in Palermo on October 10, 2014. He then scored a late own goal, but three minutes from time, he headed in the winner to give Italy a 2–1 triumph. Chiellini is the best candidate for the defensive role of the Italy squad for Euro 2021.

LB: Emerson Palmieri

Next on the list of

Italy Euro 2020

lineup is Emerson Palmieri

Emerson satisfies the full-back qualification to a tee. Emerson is able to initiate attacking plays on the wing for Chelsea and Italy, with one adjacent midfielder or winger.

This not only makes Emerson a versatile player but also adds attacking value to the team by allowing the squad to test the defense in fresh ways.

Emerson was called up for Italy's May and June friendlies against Saudi Arabia, France, and the Netherlands by new Italy coach Roberto Mancini on 19 May 2018, but he withdrew due to another injury. In September 2018, he was recalled to the team for Italy's first UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal later that month.

He made his senior international debut for Italy on September 10th, in a UEFA Nations League encounter against Portugal, replacing Domenico Criscito in the second half of his team's 1–0 defeat.

CM: Marco Verratti

There is no need to explain how good Marco Verratti is and why we have put him on the list of the

Italy Euro 2020

lineup, but for the sake of the article here is an explanation.

is an agile, creative, quick and technically gifted central midfield playmaker with notable dribbling skills, quick reactions, and close ball control. Due to his low center of gravity and resulting balance, Verratti is known for his confidence in the ball and ability to retain possession in tight spaces when under pressure.

With his superb vision and passing range, he can set up teammates with accurate long passes or control the tempo of his team's play in midfield with precise, short exchanges.

Verratti was one of just two Serie B players named in Cesare Prandelli's preliminary 32-man Italy team for UEFA Euro 2012, despite his lack of experience. On May 28, 2012, he was released from the team.

On May 6, 2016, it was announced that Verratti would miss Euro 2016 due to a long-term injury caused by a sports hernia, which would necessitate surgery on May 16 and keep him out for two months.

Verratti returned to the team after recovering from his injury for an international friendly match against France in Bari on September 1st, making a substitute appearance in the Azzurri's 3–1 defeat.

In a 6–0 home win over Liechtenstein in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match on March 26, 2019, Verratti scored his second international goal.

CM: Jorginho

The second nominee for

Italy Euro 2020

for the center-field role is Jorginho.

is recognized for his calm demeanor and versatility as a footballer, allowing him to play everywhere in the midfield. He is mainly used as a center midfielder in a three-man midfield in a 4–3–3 formation due to his work rate, technique, football intelligence, ability to break down possession, vision, and passing accuracy.

Despite his slender build and short stature, he is capable of playing both in a box-to-box and defensive role as a ball winner, thanks to his tactical intelligence, positional sense, awareness, and ability to read the game, which allows him to cover ground, press opponents further up the pitch, intercept passes, and start attacking.

He scored his second international goal, this time from the penalty spot, in a 2–1 away win over Finland in a Euro 2020 qualifier on September 8, 2019.

Jorginho scored his third international goal, this time from a penalty kick, in Italy's 2–0 win over Greece on October 12, securing Italy's qualification for Euro 2020. On November 18, he scored his fourth international goal from the penalty spot in Italy's final Euro 2020 qualifier, a 9–1 home win against Armenia. He also assisted Nicol Zaniolo's second goal in the match.

CM: Nicolo Barella

In the European sports media,

is regarded as a potential and extremely talented young midfielder. Between 2012 and 2013, he was awarded the best young Italian player born in 1997 for two years in a row.

Despite his youth, he is characterized by Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki is a clever, talented, and composed midfielder with a wide variety of capabilities. These factors earned him a spot on Italy Euro 2020 lineup list.

Despite his short stature, he has been compared to Steven Gerrard by the Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport, who describes him as a player with good technique, vision, stamina, and physical strength, as well as an ability to win balls, which allows him to break down possession and start quick attacking plays.

Barella earned his senior Italy debut in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ukraine in Genoa on October 10, 2018, under manager Roberto Mancini. In a 2–0 home win over Finland in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match on March 23, 2019, Barella scored his first goal for Italy.

RW: Federico Chiesa

is a talented, fast, skilled, and hardworking player with good technique, a short stature, and a skinny body who is regarded as a promising young prospect.

He mainly plays as a right-winger, a position that allows him to set up goals for teammates, particularly by crossing the ball into the penalty box with his stronger right foot.

He can also score goals himself and can play on the left flank, where he can beat opponents with the ball in one-on-one situations and cut into the middle to shoot on goal with his stronger foot, particularly from outside the penalty area, despite also being an accurate striker with his left foot.

Aside from his preferred roles on either flank, he has also been used in a variety of different attacking positions due to his versatility; he has most often been used in a central role as either an attacking midfielder or second striker but has also been used as a primary striker on occasion. He's also been utilized in deeper midfield, including as a central midfielder on occasion.

Under manager Roberto Mancini, he scored his first senior international goal on November 18 in a 9–1 home triumph against Armenia in Italy's final Euro 2020 qualifier; he also assisted two goals during the match: Ciro Immobile's opening goal and Riccardo Orsolini's goal. Let us see who is next on the Italy Euro 2020 lineup list.

LW: Lorenzo Insigne

is a right-footed winger who is frequently deployed on the left in a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 system, allowing him to cut inside and curl shots on goal with his better foot. These abilities would make him a crucial piece in Italy Euro 2020 squad.

Despite his lack of physicality, he is a hardworking, tactically intelligent, and versatile forward who can play in any offensive position on either side of the pitch, or even through the middle. In addition to his offensive capabilities, he is also known for his defensive contribution and ability to cover a lot of ground during matches

Insigne was included in Antonio Conte's 23-man Italy team for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31, 2016. On the 22nd of June, he made his first appearance of the tournament, coming off the bench in Italy's last group encounter, a 1–0 loss to the Republic of Ireland, striking the post and collecting a yellow card in injury time.

On the 27th of June, he came off the bench once more to assist Graziano Pellè's 91st-minute goal that gave the Azzurri a 2–0 triumph over defending champions Spain at the Stade de France in Paris.

Now, for the grand finale of the Italy Euro 2020 lineup, we introduce you Ciro Immobile.

ST: Ciro Immobile

For the last spot-on Italy Euro 2020 lineup list we chose

Immobile can play everywhere in the front line, despite being primarily a striker. Immobile, a speedy forward, is best recognized for his offensive movement off the ball, as well as his ability to make attacking runs and find open spaces.

His physical features, as well as his eye for goal and ability to finish with either foot, are his key characteristics; he also has great technique and is efficient in the air.

Immobile was included in Antonio Conte's 23-man Italy team for UEFA Euro 2016 on May 31, 2016.

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