The Italian national team was not listed in the TOP 5 favourites of the tournament before the start of the European Championship. However, the group stage has already proved that Mancini's team can compete for the title. Victories in the games with Turkey, Switzerland and Wales without a single goal testified to a clear advantage of the Italians before the 1/8 final match with Austria. Another thing is that the Austrians resisted the favourite as much as they could and promptly made the opponents come back down to earth with a bump. Belgium has also won all the matches in the group and even managed to terminate Portugal's championship credentials in the opening round of the playoffs. At the same time, the Belgians did not do well when playing with Danemark and Portugal. The Italians should definitely be concentrated throughout the match and should not forgive the opponent for what the Portuguese forgave in the second half of the 1/8 final game. Injuries of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne can become the key factor of the game, since they may not take part in the match with Italy. One should bet that Mancini's team should join the semi-finals.