Italy v Argentina - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: Italy and Argentina head into the weekend looking for a victory that would provide a welcome boost ahead of the final round of pool fixtures in the Nations Championship.

The two sides will go head-to-head on Saturday at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, with both teams eager to finish their campaigns on a positive note.

Italy have shown plenty of ambition throughout the tournament but have struggled to turn promising passages of play into victories.

Last weekend, they suffered a heavy 7-66 defeat to the Springboks and currently sit at the bottom of the Northern Hemisphere standings with no points.

However, playing at the home of Serie A clubs Genoa and Sampdoria offers Gonzalo Quesada’s side an opportunity to reward their home supporters with a much-needed victory before the competition enters its closing stages.

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Argentina, meanwhile, remain one of the tournament’s most unpredictable teams.

The Pumas have pushed several leading sides close without always collecting the results their performances arguably deserved.

They are currently fourth in the Southern Hemisphere standings with seven points and will view this fixture as a realistic opportunity to climb the table.

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada is expecting a fired-up Argentina side, but insists his team are equally determined to bounce back from their heavy defeat against South Africa.

“The Pumas are definitely coming into the match with more defeats than they’re used to, and they’ve received some criticism, and they themselves have expressed their disappointment. I know that group and their character well,” Quesada said.

“I have no doubt they’ll arrive with great determination and will want to impose their style of play from the start, so we’ve prepared for that.

“We can accept a heavy defeat against South Africa, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t have done better, and we’ve prepared to do much better.

“We know Argentina needs a reaction. And we also know that if it rains, it won’t be the ideal match for either them or us, with so many dirty situations and so much pressure, but we must be ready to ‘win’ the tough moments.”

Quesada also highlighted Argentina’s attacking threat and their effectiveness in the aerial contest.

“I imagine Argentina attacking and showing all their aggression from the first minute. And then there’s the aerial game, which they use a lot.

“We’ve trained primarily on winning possession, defence, and discipline, which are the factors that win these games, but we also want to play our game.

“I don’t expect a completely clean match, because neither team will be at 100%: the key will be to take advantage of every opportunity in a match that could allow few chances on either side, and whoever capitalizes on them best will win,” Quesada emphasised.

Players to watch:

For Italy: Fullback Tommaso Allan returns to the starting XV and will form part of an exciting back three alongside wings Monty Ioane and Ange Capuozzo. Paolo Garbisi and Stephen Varney will partner up at halfback, while Lorenzo Cannone retains his place in the pack alongside Manuel Zuliani and South African-born Ross Vintcent.

For Argentina: The Pumas will be captained by Pablo Matera in the absence of regular skipper and hooker Julián Montoya. In the backline, Rodrigo Isgró comes into the starting XV on the wing, with Bautista Delguy shifting to fullback. Flyhalf Tomás Albornoz will once again be entrusted with steering Argentina’s attack and dictating the tempo.

Prediction: 

Rugby365: Argentina by 12 points

Teams: 

Italy: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Ross Vintcent, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera (captain), 1 Danilo Fischetti.
Replacements: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Muhamed Hasa, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, 20 Alessandro Ortombina, 21 Samuele Locatelli, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Federico Mori.

Argentina: 15 Bautista Delguy, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Justo Piccardo, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomás Albornoz (vice-captain), 9 Simón Benítez Cruz, 8 Juan Martín Scelzo, 7 Joaquín Moro, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Bautista Bernasconi, 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Ephraim Elias, 20 Juan Martín González (vice-captain), 21 Facundo Isa, 22 Gonzalo García (vice-captain), 23 Gerónimo Prisciantelli.

Date: Saturday, 14 November
Venue: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Kick-off: 12:40 CET (11:40 GMT, 08:40 ART, Sunday 15 November)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (England), Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)