Italy vs Northern Ireland – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Italy and Northern Ireland go head-to-head in a high-stakes 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final in Bergamo on Thursday.

Both sides are one win away from a play-off final that will decide a coveted ticket to North America for the 2026 World Cup.

Italy vs Northern Ireland – Match preview and team news

Italy team news

Italy are juggling several fitness concerns going into this playoff semi-final. At the back, Napoli skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo has been ruled out.

Atalanta frontman Gianluca Scamacca is battling an adductor problem and Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa has already withdrawn from the squad. Bologna winger Nicolo Cambiaghi has been drafted in as his replacement.

Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean and the in-form Francesco Pio Esposito are all pushing for a starting berth.

In midfield, Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali will need to be carefully assessed before a final decision is made on his involvement but he is most likely to start.

In some good news, Riccardo Calafiori has been passed fit after shaking off a minor issue picked up in Sunday’s EFL Cup final.

Gennaro Gattuso is reported to have pushed for the game to be moved away from San Siro to a more compact and intense setting in Bergamo, aiming to create a tighter atmosphere after a 4-1 home defeat to Norway drew a furious reaction from fans in Milan earlier in qualifying.

Northern Ireland team news

Dan Ballard is sidelined here due to a hamstring injury, although he has been named in O’Neill’s 28-man squad. Tom Atcheson, who works with Michael O’Neill at Blackburn, has been promoted from the Under-21s as cover.

George Saville is available again after missing the Luxembourg qualifier through suspension, and he is joined in the squad by fit-again duo Shea Charles and Ali McCann, as well as goalkeeper Pierce Charles.

Conor Bradley, however, has been ruled out through injury, while Luke Southwood, Ryan Johnson, Jamal Lewis and winger Ross McCausland have not been included in the travelling party.

Form

Italy

Italy’s qualifying campaign has again been turbulent, with the Azzurri forced into the play-offs for a third consecutive World Cup cycle after inconsistent group-stage performances.

Their most recent outing ended in a bruising 4-1 home defeat to Norway, a result that deepened scrutiny on Gattuso’s methods and sparked calls for a reset before this decisive March window.

Despite those setbacks, Italy remains a four-time world champion and arrived at this international break knowing that two strong performances could flip the narrative from crisis to redemption.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland closed out their group campaign with an important 1-0 win over Luxembourg to secure momentum and confidence heading into the play-offs.

Their overall qualifying run still included home and away defeats to Germany, underlining the gap to Europe’s elite, but they have often proved stubborn opponents in one-off knockout ties.

Predicted lineups

Italy: Donnarumma; Calafiori, Mancini, Bastoni; Cambiaso, Tonali, Locatelli, Barella, Dimarco; Kean, Retegui

Northern Ireland: P. Charles; Hume, McConville, Brown, McNair, Devenny; Saville, S. Charles, McCann; Price, Reid

How to watch Italy vs Northern Ireland?

The match is being shown on BBC Three across the UK, with full build-up and live coverage.

Read Also – Erling Haaland donates rare Viking Sagas to hometown library

See More – Arsenal join clubs interested in signing Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace

Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube