Italy vs. Sweden live stream: Watch World Cup qualifying online
Italy face Sweden at the San Siro on Monday, Nov. 13. Here’s all the info you need to watch.
Sweden got the best of Italy this past Friday in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying playoff match, prompted the quiz question of when was the last time the Azzurri missed out on the quadrennial tournament.
The answer is 1958, where the tournament was ironically played in Sweden. But the Italians don’t want to hear or talk about such a scenario.
Jakob Johansson’s goal on the hour mark in Solna on Friday after his shot deflected past Gianluigi Buffon by Daniele De Rossi has put the four-time World Cup champions in the position of having to win on Monday while also avoid conceding an away goal in order to reach Russia 2018.
“We could’ve done more and done it better, but there was a lot at stake over the 180 minutes,” Italy coach Giampiero Ventura said in the post-game news conference. “We wanted to control certain situations, and when we did that, we entered into the penalty area fairly easily. When we didn’t do it, due also to the physicality of the Swedish side… it was a little chaotic, but Buffon didn’t make a save.”
Ventura will need to make some changes in the second leg. Out is Marco Verratti after the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was booked and will sit out due to yellow-card accumulation. He was replaced in the last 15 minutes of the match with winger Lorenzo Insigne. The Napoli star is likely to get the start come Monday. He may be joined by his teammate Jorginho, who did not play Friday, to bring some urgency and effectiveness to Italy’s midfield.
Matteo Darmian was the only bright spot during the first leg. It was his long-range effort, which slammed against the post, that nearly tied the match in the 70th minute.
Italy have tallied only three goals in their last five games and failed to find the back of the net in two of those games. The Italians will need their strikers, particularly Ciro Immobile, to break that streak before an anxious home crowd. Also expect the second leg to be both a physical and chippy affair. The first match was, prompting Ventura to complain to reporters that referee Cuneyt Cakir of Turkey had been too lenient with the Swedes.
Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci claimed Ola Toivonen “broke my nose after 30 seconds and should’ve been sent off.”
“It allowed Sweden to move the game away from the technical to the physical,” Ventura added.
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Sweden, meanwhile, did an effective job of imposing themselves physicality and speed. What the team lacks in finesse, they made up for with playmaker Emil Forsberg’s ability to run at the Italian backline with his dangerous passes that set up several chances.
The World Cup qualifying game between Italy and Sweden will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. Live streaming is available through Fubo.TV.
Date: Monday, Nov. 13
Start time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Milan, Italy
Stadium: San Siro Stadium
TV Info: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go, Fubo.TV
Lazio midfielder Marco Parolo said of the upcoming match: “We are determined, want to play the game of a lifetime and are aware we’ve only got one chance left. It was a rough game, decided by a deflection and with us hitting the post. Incidents can go against you on the night, but we have to lock ourselves in and do everything possible to take Italy to the World Cup.”