Liverpool hosts Manchester City in a Matchweek 6 Premier League clash. The big derby takes place this Sunday, October 11, at 16:30 at Anfield.
Italy will play against Northern Ireland in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Play-Off Tournament. The match will be played on Thursday at 19:45 UK Time in Bergamo.
Form of both teams
The last time Italy qualified for the World Cup was in 2014. The Italian team failed to qualify for the World Cup either in 2018 or 2022. These were major failures for the Italian national team, and in the current play-offs The Blues have no room for error, and the pressure is entirely on coach Gennaro Gattuso. The team may be feeling the pressure of being favoured, but they have won six of their last seven games and, unsurprisingly, have not lost to Northern Ireland since the 1958 World Cup qualifiers. That makes them the absolute favourites to win in front of their home fans on Thursday.
Northern Ireland are chasing their first World Cup appearance in 40 years, but the task ahead for the team in Bergamo looks daunting. Northern Ireland are in poor form, having lost three of their last five games and scoring just once in their last three. Northern Ireland have narrowly lost to Slovakia and Germany in their last two World Cup qualifiers, and also recorded a 1-0 win over Luxembourg. The team has kept their games competitive, but can they make things difficult for Italy?
Prediction for Italy - Northern Ireland
Italy have not conceded a goal against this opponent since 1958 and will be looking for a clean sheet in Bergamo. I expect Michael O'Neill's team to resist the opponent, at least in the first half. But undoubtedly the greater class of the Italian players should lead to a home victory. In addition to expecting Italy to win, you can also bet on a clean sheet victory for Gennaro Gattuso's selection.
