Liam Kelly previews Italy's hosting of Switzerland in Rome, predicting more attacking joy for a side that impressed greatly against Turkey.
Italy put themselves in pole position in Group A with an outstanding 3-0 win over Turkey on opening night, shortening in the outright market as a result.
The visiting Switzerland team will now face a side that is unbeaten in 28 international games, keeping nine clean sheets in a row and progressing offensively match-by-match.
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Wednesday
TV channel: ITV
Venue: Stadio Olimpico - Rome, Italy
As Richard Jolly pointed out in his assessment of Roberto Mancini's side, Italy are a triumph of the collective, displaying excellent traits at both ends of the pitch.
Defensive dependability has long been a staple of Italy's success, but their ability up top was clear for all to see against Turkey. Leonardo Spinazzola and Lorenzo Insigne were a serious handful on the Azzurri's left side, resulting in a number of promising situations in attack, which shows on their attacking shot map in the game.
Italy recorded 24 shots in the tournament curtain-raiser, unafraid to have a pop at goal from distance when dominating proceedings, as well as creating better scoring opportunities inside the box.
That is an area of interest for this fixture from a betting perspective. It's surprising to see such a high price (9/4) for ITALY TO TAKE 16+ SHOTS given their performance on Friday night.
Switzerland created more than enough chances to secure three points in their 1-1 draw with Wales on Saturday (xG: WAL 0.57 - 2.60 SWI), yet were undone by a set-piece goal. They did hold their opponents to just nine shots, but this is a much stiffer task.
Vladimir Petkovic's side are generally a very solid unit. However, they will most likely set out to frustrate the Italians, much like Turkey did in the first half before they subsequently fell apart.
Italy expects following an impressive opening to the tournament. I expect Mancini's side to continue their refreshing, expansive style.
Home advantage will undoubtedly play a part again, too, playing their second game in Rome.
Italy v Switzerland best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Italy 16+ total shots at 9/4 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: Italy 2-0 Switzerland (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
Odds correct 1430 BST (14/06/21)
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