We have an Italy v Scotland prediction for you plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of the next round of Six Nations fixtures.
How To Watch Italy v Scotland
When is Italy v Scotland
2.15 pm, Saturday, March 9th
TV Channel
ITV 1
Live Stream
Those in the UK can stream Italy v Scotland on ITVX.
Who are the officiating team?
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (RFU), Adam Leal (RFU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
Where is Italy v Scotland
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Italy v Scotland Odds
Team | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Italy | 10/3 | 23.1% |
Scotland | 2/9 | 81.8% |
Draw | 25/1 | 3.8% |
Italy despite the Twickenham factor are 10/3 outsiders for this game with Scotland's heavy 2/9 favourites. If you fancy the draw that can be gotten at 25/1.
Handicap Betting
Italy: +20 @ 2/5
Scotland -20 @ 15/8
Handicap Draw: +20 @ 22/1
Click Below For Our Live Italy v Scotland Odds
Team News
Italy Team News
Zebre hooker Luca Bigi has been called into the squad, with Marco Manfredi pulling out with a calf injury ahead of Scotland’s visit to Rome on Saturday.
Scotland Team News
Edinburgh lock Marshall Sykes has been recalled by Scotland for the first time in two years with Oyonnax's Rory Sutherland and Javan Sebastian of Edinburgh recalled as Edinburgh prop WP Nel, 37, drops out.
Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Jamie Dobie is also called back into the squad.
Italy v Scotland Weather Forecast
Decent conditions for rugby are expected on Saturday afternoon, with little rain and a light amount of wind forecasted.
Temperature
The temperature is predicted to be roughly 16°C throughout the game.
Wind
There is expected to be a gentle breeze in the region of 14 km/h a
Rain
There is expected to be no rain during Saturday’s game.
Italy v Scotland Preview
Italy Form
Italy came into this tournament following their Pool A elimination at the RWC, despite opening victories 52-8 against Namibia and 38-17 against Uruguay. They lost 97-17 against New Zealand and 60-7 to France
Italy’s 2024 Six Nations campaign commenced in a spirited fashion (particularly in the first half) against England to earn a losing Bonus Point against England in their 24-27 defeat. Had it not been for a quiet period at the start of the second half, they potentially could have beaten England for the first time. Italy were then quickly brought down to earth when they faced a rotated Irish side in Round Two and were whitewashed 36-0.
Italy in their latest game had a 13-13 draw against France, where they came agonisingly close to victory which suggests they’re improving as a Rugby force.
Scotland Form
Scotland entered the RWC following a strong third-place finish in the 2023 Six Nations. But they were disappointingly dumped out of the tournament at the Pool Stage coming third after defeats from Ireland and South Africa.
The Scots opened their Six Nations title success with a 27-27 victory against Wales. However, it was a game of two halves with Scotland not scoring past the 42 nd minute before they just about held on following a late Wales flurry to win.
In their second game, Scotland lost out narrowly against the French by a 16-20 scoreline and earning themselves a losing bonus point following a similar tale of a rip-roaring first-half performance before falling away in the second half. They returned to form two weeks ago with a 30-21 victory over England in Murrayfield to claim the Calcutta Cup.
Italy Attack v Scotland Defence
Italy are the lowest scorers in the tournament so far with 37 points in total, 10 less than Wales with the next lowest total. They also have scored the least amount of tries with 4 tries in total 1 less than France.
The most interesing thing about the Italian attack is their bold nature when in possession and risk-taking with them level with Ireland for offloads with 25 in the tournament so far.
Scotland have the second-best defence in the tournament so far with 67 conceded an average of 22 per match. Albeit it should be noted Ireland are substantially clear with 24 conceded and only 9 points separate them from the worst defence Italy with 76 conceded.
The Scots have the third-highest tackle success rate in the tournament with 87.89% less than Ireland with 88.39% and France with 89.72%.
Scotland Attack Italy Defence
Scotland are the second-highest scorer in the tournament with 73 points scoring an average of 24 points per match and have the joint second-most tries along with Wales with 7. Interestingly they have the top points scorer in the tournament Finn Russell with 38 along with the top try scorer in the tournament Duhan Van Der Merwe with 5.
Italy have the worst defense in the tournament with 76 conceded an average of 25 points per game. However, their recent 13-13 draw against France suggests they can be more watertight with their performances when on song. Italy are active tacklers leading the tackles made stats with 542 more than Wales in second with 452, but they also have the second lowest tackle % made with 85.62%.
Italy v Scotland Rugby Head-To-Head
All-Time Head-To-Head Record
Italy and Scotland have played each other at rugby union in 36 matches, with Scotland winning 28 times, Italy winning 8 times and no matches drawn
Head-To-Head Results Last Five Matches
2023: Scotland won 25-13 in Murrayfield
2023: Scotland won 26-14 in Murrayfield
2022: Scotland won 22-33 in Stadio Olimpico Stadium
2021: Scotland won 52-10 in Murrayfield
2020: Scotland won 17-28 in Florence
Trends
Scotland have won 15 of the last 15 games against Italy having not lost since 2015.
Key Players
Ange Capuozzo – Italy
Ange was Italy’s star performer against France returning to his preferred #15 jersey, including his try scored where he beat three French defenders in the process. He also made eight tackles in the game. He looks like a shoo-in to start at ‘#15 against the Scots and a performance will be needed again if they stand a chance.
Duhan Van Der Merwe – Scotland
Duhan is the top try scorer in the tournament so far with 5 in what has been a brilliant tournament for him thus far. He is 4 th in the tournament for metres carried and gained 233.3 and 181.8 and for Linebreaks he is joint third with 4.
His finishing threat could prove crucial on Saturday again.
Italy v Scotland Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: Italy 6-25 Scotland
Italy have shown signs of progress this tournament, albeit the table suggests they’re still the worst side in the competition their latest draw against France is encouraging for their long-term prospects.
Scotland despite a disappointing RWC, have been one of their better sides in the Six Nations these last two seasons and following their victory against England in Murrayfield they’re currently second in the table, 6 points behind Ireland.
Scotland should be far too good for Italy, even with their recent improvement.
Best Bet: Scotland To Win Both Halves By 7 Points Or More @ 5/2
Click Below For Our Live Italy v Scotland Odds
*Prices subject to fluctuation
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