Italy have never beaten England and England are favorites for this game, which will be Steve Borthwick’s second game at Twickenham as head coach.
Italy are a better side though and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them asking more questions of England at Twickenham than before.
However, history is certainly not on Italy’s side. These two teams have faced each other 29 times, with England winning all those encounters. What’s more, the total number of points scored by both teams in the 16 matches played between them at Twickenham stands at 720 for England against 190 for Italy.
Borthwick will say all the right things but privately he will know that this is a must win game early in his tenure as England coach and the sort of game a side should win by a huge margin if they have serious ambitions of a Six. National title, especially after a loss in the opening game against Scotland.
The most points Italy have collected at Twickenham is 23 way back in 2001. They certainly need to do better to have any chance of causing a stir.
Who is in England’s 36-man squad?
Forward: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler , Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis
ridges: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Henry Slade, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs .
When and where is England v Italy?
This second round match between England and Italy takes place on Sunday 12 February, with kick-off at Twickenham at 3pm (GMT).
The other matches on the second weekend of the Championship are Ireland v France at 2.15pm and Scotland v Wales at 4.45pm.
What TV channel is England v Italy on?
England vs Italy will be broadcast on ITV.
What happened in this luminaire in 2022?
Italy failed to score a point against England in an error-strewn 0-33 defeat at Stadio Olimpico. After their opening round defeat to Scotland, England returned to winning ways with an impressive performance inspired by Marcus Smith.
Read Telegraph Sport’s full coverage of the match here.
What is the latest team news?
Henry Arundell and Anthony Watson could join forces in England’s back three against Italy, as Borthwick considers an injection of outright speed for his second game in charge.
The move could mean one of those speedsters being deployed at fullback, at least for part of the match, with indications that Freddie Steward, who has been on the field every minute of England’s last 18 Test matches, may be lining up to turning to the couch or resting.
Meanwhile, Jack Willis is on the verge of returning to the side and looks set to start as a full-back on the open side as a direct replacement for Ben Curry. Willis did not appear against Scotland as commitments for Toulouse, whom he joined following the demise of Wasps, jeopardized his preparations for the Calcutta Cup. After meeting Bayonne in the Top 14, he has returned to the England squad.
Who is the referee?
New Zealander James Doleman will lead the race, assisted by Mathieu Raynal (FFR) and Tual Trainini (FFR). Eric Gauzins (FFR), meanwhile, will be the TV match official (TMO) for today.
England v Italy best of last odds
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England: 1/11
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To draw: 50/1
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Italy: 10/1
The odds are correct as of February 8
What is our prediction?
England 32 Italy 13
A first win for the Borthwick side, with a big step up in performance and a comfortable victory despite Italy’s progress.