Italy v England Betting Tips [3 February 2024]

Italy will host England at the Stadio Olimpico as the two nations renew their rivalries in Saturday’s Six Nations clash. The hosts are looking to avoid the Wooden Spoon that they have clinched eight consecutive times while England seek to win the overall title. Italy haven't done well in the Six Nations recently, having lost their previous five games. This run of form saw them finish the 2023 edition without a single victory and dead last in the Pool. The Italians recently posted a nightmare World Cup campaign as they were hammered by France and New Zealand. They however picked up routine wins over Uruguay and Namibia but failed to qualify for the playoffs. Gli Azzurri’s last encounter was the heavy 60-7 defeat to France in the World Cup. Peato Mauvaka and Damian Penaud scored braces in the game as the French advanced to the playoffs.

England will be seeking a record-extending 40th Six Nations title and move past old foes Wales, as both are currently tied. In the last edition, The Lions had an underwhelming campaign finishing fourth after winning only three games. They however had a surprise World Cup campaign where they managed a third-place finish. In their last outing, England secured a 26-23 win over Argentina in the third-place playoffs. Owen Farrel starred in the game, bagging a total of 16 points to help England to a second-runner’s up finish. The fly half will however miss the tournament after taking a break from test rugby. Courtney Lawes, Jonny May, Mako Vunipola and Ben Youngs will also miss after retiring.

England have enjoyed playing against Italy in recent games, blowing them away with a win margin of more than 16 points. In contrast, Italy have been poor in their recent games, suffering heavy losses to France and New Zealand. The Italians have also struggled in the tournament against England with their games producing a loss margin of more than 16 points. Our prediction for Italy vs England is an England -15.5 Handicap.