An in-form Italy face Turkey in Rome on Friday as Euro 2020 finally gets underway a year behind schedule and with the coronavirus continuing to cast a shadow over the tournament.
In Rome, the Stadio Olimpico will be filled to about 25 percent of capacity, meaning 16,000 supporters will be present to watch Roberto Mancini's Italy face Turkey in the first game in Group A.
Somehow it seems appropriate that Italy, the first country in Europe that was overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, is hosting the opening game of the Championship.
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Turkey vs Italy - LIVE blog
Road to Euro 2020:
After embarrassingly failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Italy won all 10 of its qualifying matches for Euro 2020 and enters on a 27-match unbeaten run.
Turkey took four points off France in qualifying, including a 2-0 win over the World Cup champions, and lost only one of its matches to finish second in its group.
Political undertones
The matchup also features some political undertones after Italian Premier Mario Draghi labeled Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “dictator” in April.
Turkey summoned Italy’s ambassador to protest, and a presidential spokesman demanded that Draghi retract his words. Draghi, however, did not issue a public apology or retraction.
Draghi is not expected to attend the match since he’ll be in Britain on Friday attending a G7 summit. Erdogan is also not expected to attend.
Head-to-head record
Spectators - what COVID-19 protocol is in place?
What time does the game start?
The match begins at 12.30am IST.
Where to watch:
Euro 2020 will be telecast in India on the Sony Sports Network. You can also catch the match live on the Sony LIV app.
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