ITALY conclude their World Cup qualifying campaign against Northern Ireland on Monday night looking for the victory which would cement top spot in Group C.
The Azzurri found themselves ruing a last-gasp missed penalty by Jorginho as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland on Friday night.
That Stadio Olimpico stalemate has left the section finely poised ahead of the final round of fixtures, with both the European champions and the Swiss separated only on goal difference.
As such, Roberto Mancini's men need to match or better Switzerland's result on Monday night if they are to qualify for Qatar directly.
Standing in Italy's way is a Northern Ireland outfit that are playing only for pride and the chance to finish third in the standings.
The Green and White Army snapped a three-match winless streak with a 1-0 win over Lithuania last time out but it will be fair to say that there will be a huge step up in quality of opposition here.
Outright Betting
Northern Ireland are a towering 27/2 (SBK) to sign off their qualifying campaign on a high, while the draw is an unfancied 5/1 (SBK) with the same bookmaker.
Italy ran out 2-0 winners when the sides met in the reverse fixture in March and the European kings enter this crunch clash as red-hot 3/11 (SBK) favourites.
Betting Angles
Roberto Mancini's side have not so far hit the heights of last summer's Euro 2020 triumph but I'd still expect the Italians to have too much class for Northern Ireland on Monday night.
You won't get rich backing Italy at the above-mentioned price, but combining an away win and under four match goals will bring about a 10/11 (Bet 365) play and that looks like a nice alternative.
Mancini's team are built on strong defensive foundations and they have recorded a clean sheet in five of their seven matches in qualifying.
The Azzurri know that failure to bank three points here would open the door for the Swiss, but the visitors must also be cautious as Northern Ireland have dished out many a bloody nose at their Belfast base in recent years.
That said, Italy navigated their way to European glory in solid rather spectacular style and it could be a case of more of the same in the Northern Irish capital on Monday night.
Backing Italy to come out on top in a game featuring fewer than four matches goals would have pocketed punters profit in 10 of the Italians last 11 competitive victories.
It's also worth noting that Northern Ireland have not scored in four of their seven group games, not to mention just one of the hosts last 13 meaningful matches have crossed the over 3.5 goal barrier.
With all that in mind, merging an Italy win and under four match goals at 10/11 (Bet 365 ) holds plenty of appeal at Windsor Park on Monday night as Group C reaches its dramatic climax.
This World Cup match between Northern Ireland and Italy will be played on Nov 15, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Northern Ireland vs Italy prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
