Italy aim for goals and confidence boost against Moldova ahead of Norway clash

Italy face Moldova in their penultimate 2026 World Cup qualifier and while hopes of topping the group remain slim with Norway still leading the way, Rino Gattuso is focused on building momentum.

The Azzurri coach wants a dominant, attacking display, and plenty of goals, to show his side are already preparing mentally for the likely play-offs in March, as per Sportal.

“We must prove we’re on the right path,” is the message coming out of Coverciano ahead of Thursday’s match.

The record against Moldova offers reassurance: Italy have won all six previous meetings, scoring 17 goals and conceding just two. The reverse fixture in Reggio Emilia finished 2-0 under then-coach Luciano Spalletti, now in charge of Juventus.

Gattuso will turn to Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori in attack. The Atalanta striker returns to the starting XI for the first time in 17 months after injury setbacks, while Raspadori, now at Atlético Madrid, is eager to impress both for Italy and his club coach Diego Simeone.

With confidence and sharpness the priorities, Italy are targeting not just three points, but a statement victory to take into Sunday’s decisive clash with Norway at San Siro.

If Italy want to avoid the play-off route, they will need to win both their remaining fixtures and hope that Estonia can pull off a shock result against Norway on Thursday evening.