Scotland vs Italy - Preview

A huge game for both sides as they both see it as their most winnable fixture, but the Italians will be wary of the Scots at home, especially with how they have played recently. However, this talk of great Scottish form has not yielded the results the Scots were expecting. A close game against Wales showed many promising signs, but the inability to cross the line is an age-old problem that the men north of Hadrian's Wall have had for quite some time now. The frustrations will have grown, and now they have to capitalise on this home fixture in order to not get obliterated in the coming weeks by strong English and Irish sides. They will come up against a resilient Italian side though, who ran 3 tries past the English in their last game, and will need to focus on limiting Parisse's impact and nullify the new threat, Luca Morisi.

That leads me to what I believe will be one of the key battles, Alex Dunbar vs Luca Morisi:

Having scored twice at Twickenham, Morisi will be flying high, and the outside centre will be looking to attack as much as possible against the Scots. His strong running was evident against England, and it will take a good defensive performance from Scotland to keep this man quiet. However, in Alex Dunbar, I believe the Scottish have the answer. 7 tackles and 2 turnovers with no missed tackles against Wales, and 11 tackles with 2 turnovers against the French shows that this guy will be up to the challenge. He nullified Jonathan Davies in the match against Wales, and I'm sure will put in a performance of a similar magnitude at the weekend. Both players made my team of the week, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in an enthralling battle in the middle of the pitch.

If the Italians match the intensity they showed against England, we could be in for a fantastic match. The battle of the packs will be a close one, players such as Harley, Cowan, Furno and Parisse will need to be on top form to secure the victory for their side. I think home advantage will give the Scots the victory they desperately need, but once again I can see themselves making it as difficult as possible for themselves, and the Azzurri will put up one hell of a fight. 

Prediction: Scotland by 5