The champions of South America meet the champions of Europe as Italy and Argentina meet in the Conmebol-Uefa Cup of Champions.

The game is a resurrection of the Artemio Franchi Cup, which has been held twice previously, with Argentina winning the second edition in 1993 after France had claimed the inaugural crown in 1985.

Italy return to the scene of their Euro 2020 triumph with a point to prove having missed out on qualification for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Argentina, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 31 games, a dominant run that encompassed the securing of their first Copa America crown in 28 years in Brazil last year.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Cup of Champions:

When and where is it?

Italy vs Argentina will kick-off at 7.45pm BST on Wednesday 1 June at Wembley Stadium in London.

How can I watch?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the game live on Premier Sports 1, with coverage due to begin at 7pm BST. Subscribers can stream the game via the Premier Player.

Team News

Centre-half Giorgio Chiellini will retire after this encounter, and is likely to start in defence for Italy. Federico Chiesa, Ciro Immobile and Domenico Berardi are among those unavailable to Roberto Mancini, with Nicolo Zaniolo also withdrawing due to injury. 12 uncapped players have been named in a large Italy squad for this game and the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Argentina’s squad has a more familiar look, with defenders Nehuen Perez and Marcos Senesi the only two new faces who could make a debut. Leandro Paredes is out after undergoing an operation, which means Guido Rodríguez is likely to start, though Alexis Mac Allister has also been tried in a deeper role in training.

Predicted Lineups

Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Bernardeschi, Scamacca, Insigne

Argentina: E Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuna; De Paul, Rodriguez, Lo Celso; Messi, L Martinez, Di Maria

Odds

Italy 1/1

Argentina 4/5

Prediction

A tough fixture to assess, coming at the end of a long season for the primarily Europe-based squads and with the prestige of the competition far from established. It could well be tight. Italy 1-2 Argentina

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