Preview: Luxembourg vs Italy - prediction, team news, lineups

Starting the long road back from another qualifying failure, fallen giants Italy will visit little Luxembourg for an international friendly on Wednesday.

A youthful squad has been picked for the Azzurri's first game since losing a dramatic World Cup playoff and missing out on a place at this year's finals.

Match preview

Haunted by the ghosts of successive World Cup failures, the pressure to qualify for the 2026 edition had reached almost intolerable levels before Italy travelled to Zenica in late March.

After beating Northern Ireland in the semi-finals, the Azzurri were held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final, before losing on penalties to a team ranked 58 places lower in FIFA's world rankings.

La Nazionale may be four-time world champions, but despite winning the Euros in 2021 they last trod the global stage some seven years earlier - and that long wait must go on.

Following the swift departure of Gennaro Gattuso - who had only been hired after Luciano Spalletti was sacked after losing the first qualifier 3-0 in Norway - Silvio Baldini will now serve as interim head coach.

A new permanent appointment is due after FIGC presidential elections take place later this month, so Under-21s boss Baldini has stepped up to senior level for now.

Tasked with leading his nation into a pair of post-season friendlies - against Luxembourg and Greece - he has named a squad mostly made up of players from Italy's underage sides.

With several star names given time off to recuperate, Wednesday's game will offer a chance for fresh talent to shine before a new UEFA Nations League campaign kicks off in the autumn.

Luxembourg's last meeting with Italy was a shock 1-1 draw 12 years ago, when an experienced Azzurri were unable to win a friendly fixture in Perugia.

Looking further back, Les Lions Rouges had lost five previous contests between the two nations, conceding an average of three goals per game.

More recently, in their World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign, Luxembourg came away completely empty-handed from matches against Germany, Slovakia and Northern Ireland.

Previously, the tiny state had failed to win any of their six games during the 2024-25 Nations League, finishing rock bottom of League C Group 3 with only three points.

Nonetheless, new coach Jeff Strasser finally got his first win in March, as Luxembourg avoided demotion to Europe's bottom tier by beating Malta both home and away in their promotion/relegation playoff.

Set to play Albania after Italy pay a visit in midweek, they are now preparing for another Nations League campaign, which will start with a trip to Bulgaria in September.

Luxembourg form (all competitions):

L L L L W W

Italy form (all competitions):

W W W L W L

Team News

Of the Italy squad that recently convened at Coverciano, only Marco Palestra, Niccolo Pisilli, Pio Esposito and captain Gianluigi Donnarumma have been capped at senior level.

So, players such as AC Milan wing-back Davide Bartesaghi, Borussia Dortmund forward Samuele Inacio and Atalanta prodigy Honest Ahanor are set to make their first Azzurri appearance.

Though Roma's Lorenzo Venturino had to withdraw due to injury, Tommaso Berti has been called in as his replacement.

Meanwhile, Luxembourg have selected a far more familiar squad, with 122-cap veteran Laurent Jans continuing as captain and Daniel Sinani set to lead an experienced attack.

Waldhof Mannheim winger Vincent Thill should support the latter up front, after scoring in both legs against Malta.

The hosts' most notable absentee is Benfica midfielder Leandro Barreiro, who has been plagued by injury of late.

Luxembourg possible starting lineup:

Moris; Jans, Korac, Carlson, Bohnert; Martins, Olesen; V. Thill, S. Thill, Dardari; Sinani

Italy possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Palestra, Comuzzo, Ahanor, Bartesaghi; Ndour, Lipani, Pisilli; Koleosho, Esposito, Inacio