Italy v Netherlands: Preview & predictions ahead of Women’s World Cup 2019 match

Italy take on the Netherlands in another all-European quarter-final at the 2019 Women’s World Cup on Saturday.

The Netherlands overcame Japan 2-1 in what was a tough test for the European champions, advancing thanks only to a last-minute penalty having been pushed all the way by a side which reached the previous two World Cup finals.

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Italy, meanwhile, also had to see off Asian opposition in the round-of-16, beating China 2-0 in Montpellier on Tuesday despite enjoying just a 37% share of possession.

The winner of this match will face whoever emerges victorious from Germany v Sweden later that day.

Read on for Italy vs Netherlands TV channel info, team news and predictions.

When is Italy vs Netherlands

Competition: Women’s World Cup

Venue: Stade du Hainaut, Valenciennes

Date: Saturday, 29 June

Kick-off: 14:00 BST

Where can I watch live?

UK residents can watch Italy vs Netherlands live via the BBC’s Red Button and iPlayer services, while highlights will also be available on the BBC website.

Can Italy’s sharpshooter deny European champions a first WWC semi-final?

Having scored nine goals in France so far – including two in their opening 2-1 win over Australia – Italy will certainly feel like they can hurt a Netherlands side which really had to battle for their round-of-16 win over Japan on Tuesday. Aurora Galli has scored with each of her shots on target so far and along with teammate Cristiana Girelli, has three goals to her name at this tournament to date. Those two have been key to Le Azzurre’s progress so far.

The Oranje’s only clean sheet at the tournament so far was against minnows New Zealand and unless they improve on that lack of stability, we could see an untimely exit for the European champions. Their passage to this round was somewhat fortuitous with a late Lieke Martens penalty sent the Netherlands through after Japan had kept them on the ropes throughout the final 20 minutes.

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That said, the Netherlands’ status as European champions deserves a certain amount of respect and will provide Sarina Wiegman with the assurance that her side can still go up a few levels in France yet.

Both sides are looking to reach the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup for the first time and with so much firepower in both blue and orange, this one is sure to be a thoughroughly entertaining affair.

Team news

Cristiana Girelli picked up an injury in the previous round against China. The Juventus forward netted a hat-trick against Jamaica earlier in the competition but could be a big miss for their quarter-final.

The Netherlands are sweating on the fitness of Lieke Martens who sat out Friday training with a painful foot injury which she picked up whilst celebrating her late winning goal against Japan.

Squawka prediction

The Netherlands may have rocked against Japan but in the likes of Martens and Vivianne Miedema, they still have an immense amount of firepower to call upon.

Italy have impressed in this tournament so far and as a team, are showing signs of great progress. But a game against the European champions may just be one bridge too far this time.

Italy 1-3 Netherlands