Italy 2/3 to beat Turkey in Friday’s European Championship opener

Competition: European Championships

Market: Italy win

Odds: 2/3 @ 888sport

Looking to open this summer’s European Championships with a flurry in Rome, Italy will host Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in front of a select number of fans.

Starting with Turkey, while they might have impressed many across Europe over the past two years, they have struggled to find top gear heading into this summer’s adventure. Despite grabbing a much-needed 2-0 victory against Moldova in a routine outing last week, they have shown some recent inconsistencies. Including a shock 0-0 stalemate against Guinea in their opening friendly contest, Şenol Güneş’ men also threw away the lead in a shock fashion back in March as they played out a 3-3 draw against Latvia on home soil. While Ay-Yıldızlılar might open Friday’s meeting as the hosts on paper, they have shown some concerns on the road. Despite landing a 3-0 win against Norway last time on foreign soil, that was the only win that Turkey have recorded in their last five attempts.

As for Italy, despite once again publically missing out on a spot out in Russia three years ago, the former world champions find themselves enjoying nothing short of a rampant purple patch. Laying down what was another clinical marker when signing off their preparations last week, The Blues secured an eye-catching 4-0 romp against the Czech Republic on home soil. With the mood in their camp at a red-hot high and some across Europe even tipping them as a real outside pick this summer, Roberto Mancini’s men have won their last eight straight matchups on the spin. In fact, enjoying an unbeaten run that stems all the way back to September 2018, Italy have also gained plenty of plaudits from their new-found resolve at the back. Remarkably, the former Manchester City boss has seen his side record a clean sheet in each of their previous eight victories.

Bet: Italy 2/3 to beat Turkey in Friday’s European Championship opener @ 888sport