Fans of the Azzurri can watch live online for free and legally Sunday as their Italy team hosts Bulgaria in a UEFA European Championships Qualifier match which, if Italy can grind out a victory, should all but assure that they go through to the 2016 tournament in France, starting on June 10 of next year. Italy is currently tied on points with Croatia atop Group H in the qualifying competition.
The qualifying round has indeed been a grind for Italy, managing only 10 goals in their seven matches so far. But along with co-leaders Croatia, Italy remains one of only two teams in Group H yet to lose a game, winning four and drawing three.
Italy managed a lackluster 1-0 victory over lowly Malta, who sit winless at the bottom of the group, on Thursday.
To find out how to watch the Italy vs. Bulgaria UEFA European Championships Qualifier match live online for free and legally, see the streaming info in the final paragraph of this article. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. Central European Summer Time at the 37,600-seat Renzo Barbera Stadium in Palermo, Italy, on Sunday, September 6. Viewers in the United States can watch starting at 2:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 11:45 a.m. Pacific.
Italy Manager Antonio Conte knows his team will need to give a better performance against Bulgaria than the players showed in the Malta contest.
“We need to recover, we need to understand who is fit and proper for the upcoming game against Bulgaria,” Conte said at a Saturday press conference. “We hope we can play well and win against them, but we are fully aware that it’s difficult. If we don’t know how difficult it is, it means that what we say before the game is not worth being remembered after the game.”
Though the Italy goal production has not been prolific, the Azzurri defense has been stingy, surrendering just five goals in the qualifying tournament so far.
If Italy win on Sunday, they would go to 18 points with two games remaining, meaning that third-place Norway would need to not only defeat Croatia Sunday, but win its final two matches as well, with Italy losing two, to overtake the Azzurri.
To find out if Italy can all but ensure its place in the 2016 UEFA European Championships next year in France, or if Bulgaria can pull of a stunning upset, watch Sunday’s Italy vs. Bulgaria match live online for free and legally on ESPN3, the online-only channel in the ESPN network. ESPN3 will stream the Italy vs. Bulgaria UEFA European Championship Qualifying Group H match live online at this link . ESPN3 is free to subscribers of most major internet service providers and many minor ISPs, as well. For a full list, check this link .
[Image: Claudio Villa / Getty Images]
