European champ Italy still has some unfinished business

Uphill task for the Dutch; Germany will look to get back on track without key players

For Italy it is back to business less than eight weeks after its Euro 2020 triumph. The Azzurri will take the acclaim of their own supporters when they play Bulgaria in Florence in a World Cup qualifier. Roberto Mancini’s team cannot afford to rest on its laurels because until it has secured qualification for the finals in Qatar, it will not have completely erased the memory of its failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Italy is unbeaten in 34 games — including winning its first three qualifiers for Qatar back in March — and now it faces three more matches in eight days with a trip to Switzerland and a home meeting with Lithuania also on the agenda.