Italy v Switzerland live stream, Friday 12 November, 7.45pm GMT
The winner of Italy’s game against Switzerland on Friday evening will be in pole position to qualify automatically for the 2022 World Cup.
The two nations are level on points at the top of Group C with two games remaining. Italy will expect to beat Northern Ireland in their final qualifier, while Switzerland will be heavy favourites when they conclude their campaign against Bulgaria on Monday night. This meeting at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, then, is essentially a winner-takes-all encounter.
Italy hold a slender advantage over Switzerland at present thanks to their superior goal difference; both teams have conceded just once in Group C, but Roberto Mancini’s men have scored 12 goals to Switzerland’s 10. A draw on Friday would therefore leave Italy in control of their own destiny, provided Switzerland do not outscore them by three or more goals on the final matchday.
Mancini is unlikely to play for a draw, though. He has made Italy a front-foot, proactive and possession-based team, and we can expect them to take the game to Switzerland. The Azzurri won 3-0 against the same opposition at the same stadium in the European Championship, and a repeat performance here would put them on the cusp of a place at Qatar 2022.
Switzerland should not be written off, though. They were poor in that aforementioned 3-0 defeat by Italy but gave a far better account of themselves against France and Spain in the knockout stage of Euro 2020, before drawing 0-0 with Mancini’s side in September.
Torino midfielder Tommaso Pobega has earned a first call-up to the Italy squad, while Nicolo Zaniolo is back in after missing last month’s Nations League matches.
Switzerland will be without Granit Xhaka through injury, while Celtic striker Albian Ajeti has been left at home after falling out of favour at Parkhead.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT on Friday, 12 November, and UK viewers can watch it on Sky Sports Premier League. See below for international broadcast options.
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VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch World Cup qualifiers from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch Steve Bruce’s extra-red face without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
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UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
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Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
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Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
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Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
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