World Cup Qualifying: Italy vs Spain preview

Two of Europe's most successful footballing nations clash on Thursday as Italy host Spain in their Group G World Cup qualifying match. The two sides have also met at this summer's Euro 2016 and Italy won 2-0, a success that they had been seeking for a very long time. That was the first victory for Italy in six encounters against Spain, but history shows that all matches between these two sides have been tough for both teams and difficult to predict for punters. New Italy head coach Giampiero Ventura replaced new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte after Euro 2016 and his spell started with a 3-1 friendly defeat against France. The World Cup qualifying campaign started well for Italy though as they earned a 3-1 victory in Israel. The Italian head coach has no injury concerns ahead of this match, but he will have tough choices to make, especially in midfield where Daniele De Rossi, Riccardo Montolivo and Marco Parolo are all pushing for a single slot in the starting eleven. Spain also have a new head coach in Julen Lopetegui after veteran Vicente del Bosque was forced out following a poor display at Euro 2016. His reign started with a 2-0 friendly victory in Belgium and continued with an 8-0 thumping of minnows Liechtenstein in their opening Group G match. Saul Niguez and Thiago are fitness doubts ahead of this match while Javi Martinez will surely miss out due to a thigh injury. Probable line-ups: Italy: Buffon - Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini - Candreva, Verratti, De Rossi, Florenzi, De Sciglio - Pelle, Eder Spain: De Gea - Carvajal, Pique, Ramos, Alba - Koke, Busquets, Iniesta - Vitolo, Costa, Silva My prediction: 1-1 draw. Here are the odds for the match at Bet365: Italy win - 3.10 Draw - 3.00 Spain win - 2.70