Following a year-long delay, the much-anticipated Euro 2020 finals

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Following a year-long delay, the much-anticipated Euro 2020 finals get underway on Friday, as form side Italy host fast-improving Turkey at the iconic Stadio Olimpico. While the Azzurri seek to make the most of home advantage in Rome, their Turkish counterparts are aiming to at least avoid defeat in their opening match of the competition at the fifth time of asking.

It’s a tournament that has been shrouded in doubt for months, but the long-awaited Euro 2020 finals now kicks-off with Turkey facing Italy in a repeat of their first fixture at Euro 2000. Turkey lost that 2-1, but still progressed to the quarter finals that year, and will have dreams of doing even better this time around after scoring at least three goals in their previous three matches vs teams ranked inside FIFA’s top 20 (W1, D2).

This is a tough way for Turkey to open their fifth Euro finals though, especially as they face a country they’ve never beaten (D3, L7), in Italy’s capital city of Rome. To make matters worse, they’ve lost all four previous opening Euro finals matches they’ve played, albeit Turkey held the score 0-0 at HT in three.

After failing to qualify for World Cup 2018, Italy are dreaming of redemption by becoming European champions for the first time since 1968, a competition they won at this very stadium. However that tournament was so long ago that none of the countries they played back then exist today, and one of their matches was even won by a coin toss!

They’re one of the favourites for Euro 2020 though, thanks to exceptional current form (W22, D5) that will see them equal an Italian record set in 1939 (30 games unbeaten) if they can negotiate the group stage undefeated.

That record is there for the taking as Italy have lost their opening Euro group stage match just once before (W3, D4, L1). Entering this tournament on an eight-game run of clean sheets (W8), they’re also eyeing an Italian record of 12 straight matches without conceding that’s stood since the 1970s.

Date: 11/06/2021
Time: 22:00
Venue: Stadio Olimpico (Rome)
Pick for this match:
“2” – @ 1.52 ( 1Xbet )