Antonio Conte shocked European football when he resigned suddenly as Juventus manager last summer. But following three successive Serie A titles, the Italian manager had developed a high enough reputation to earn him the head coaching role with Italy.
As a national coach, Conte is slowly finding his way. In his first four qualifying games, his players have won three and drawn once from four. That places Italy on 10 points with Croatia. However, Italy only have a goal difference of four compared to Croatia’s record of nine.
Elsewhere in Group H, Bulgaria are holding fourth spot, leaving them five points behind Norway. The first three of their points came in a 2-1 away victory over Azerbaijan, which came in the first group match. However, their only point since came in a 1-1 home draw versus Malta.
Expectations
Bulgaria are not set up to be an attacking force, which explains how the defensive team were unable to overcome a dogged Malta side. In losing just 1-0 to group leaders Croatia, Bulgaria were able to prove their defensive qualities. They will sit back and attempt to frustrate Italy.
There is every chance that Bulgaria could frustrate Italy. For starters, the Italians are just a few games into understanding a new system. Crucially, it will have been approximately four-and-a-half months since the team played together. That will leave plenty of rustiness in the side.
A concern with new international football regimes is that players need time to gel with one another. Unfortunately for Antonio Conte, this could be a big problem against Bulgaria. His players could let a goal slip due to an error, leaving an unfamiliar attack trying to open up a tight defence that is unwilling to give up.
Match Tips
Tip one: Draw @ 3.5 with Betfair
Tip two: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.47 with Betfair
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International fixtures are rarely certain, which is why backing a draw at odds of 3.5 with Betfair could prove to be a wise wager. A safer possibility is to back under 2.5 goals for two teams that are not overly prolific in their recent form.
