Italy — Estonia : Match Preview and Prediction for September 05,2025

Italy’s Qualification Struggles

The Italian national team, having famously missed two consecutive World Cups, now faces the challenging prospect of a third absence if their performance doesn’t drastically improve soon. This year has proven to be particularly arduous for the Azzurri. Following a disappointing 0-3 defeat to Norway in Oslo, a decision was made for Luciano Spalletti to step down, reportedly due to an inability to forge the desired connection with the squad.

New Leadership Under Gattuso

The appointment of Gennaro Gattuso – a former player for Milan and Rangers, and ex-coach of Hajduk Split and Napoli – has certainly raised some eyebrows. Gattuso is primarily renowned for his motivational prowess, suggesting a strategic move to instil strict discipline within a team undergoing significant changes. Whether this approach will yield the desired results remains to be seen.

Early Group Stage Performance

So far in Group I, the Italians have only contested two matches. Their campaign began with a collapse in the first half against Norway in Oslo, leading to a loss. They then managed to overcome Moldova with a 2-0 victory, though their opponent initially scored, only for the goal to be disallowed due to a marginal offside call against Nicolaescu. As we look forward to Italy under their new manager, the overall trajectory for the hosts this year has been less than stellar. They also failed to advance to the Nations League Final Four, having been eliminated by Germany in the quarterfinals (with results of 3-3 and 1-2). For this upcoming match against Estonia, Italy will be without Udogie and Pellegrini, both excluded from the squad due to injuries.

Estonia’s Gritty Campaign

Jürgen Henn’s Estonia currently finds itself level on points with Italy, though it’s crucial to note that the Baltic nation has already played four matches, meaning their chances of qualifying for the World Cup are considerably slimmer than those of their more illustrious opponents. Nevertheless, in this qualification campaign, players like Sappinen, Sinyavskiy, Pascoči, and their teammates have shown commendable resilience, avoiding heavy defeats against top-tier teams. This includes a narrow 0-1 loss to a strong Norway side at home, where they arguably could have snatched a point, and a 1-3 defeat to Israel. They also secured a 3-2 victory against Moldova in Chisinau and suffered a 1-2 loss to Israel on neutral ground at the very beginning of the qualifiers.

Last Chance for Playoff Hopes

The upcoming match in Bergamo represents the Baltic side’s final opportunity to cling to any faint hopes of reaching the World Cup playoffs. Therefore, their attitude against the Italians is expected to be exceptionally spirited. For this game, the visitors will welcome back their injured captain, Karol Mets, and forward Jurgen Tamm (though Sappinen is likely to lead the attack instead).