The Azzurri’s upcoming fixtures and the worst-case scenario in light of the draw against Macedonia in Spalletti’s first ever match as a head coach of the ‘Azzurri’ national team.
Five matches to try to get ahead of Ukraine in the race for the second place of group C that leads directly to Euro 2024.
Italy‘s path to qualification for the upcoming European Championship has become quite complicated after the draw against North Macedonia, which leaves the Azzurri with 4 points away from Ukraine, (Ukraine has 7 points but Italy has a game less) – although Ukraine drew against England. More importantly, Ukraine has already faced Southgate’s team twice.
It will be a head-to-head battle with Ukraine for the second spot, which guarantees direct qualification for Euro 2024. The match in Milan scheduled for Tuesday and it is already a crucial encounter.
Italy’s schedule: On Tuesday, Italy will face Ukraine in Milan (kick-off at 8:45 PM), the first of two key matches against Zinchenko and his teammates.
After the game, the national teams will then return to action in October when Italy will have two matches: the first against Malta in Bari on the 14th and the second at Wembley against England on the 17th. The following month (November) will feature the last two qualification matches: at home against North Macedonia on November 17th and an away match (on neutral ground) against Ukraine.
What would happen if Italy finishes third behind Ukraine? The national team would then have an additional chance to qualify for the European Championship scheduled to be held in Germany in June 2024 by participating in the playoffs.
There will be three spots up for grabs, and in that case, Italy would return to the field in March 2024 to secure qualification through the path reserved for winners of League A (composed of four teams based on their results in the last edition of the Nations League).
Italy won its group in the Nations League, and the group winners automatically advance to the playoffs. This path involves winning two matches: a semifinal and, if necessary, a final. However, this is a scenario that Spalletti’s men would preferably avoid, especially in terms of the draw for the tournament.
