Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match between Italy and Scotland as the Azzurri continue their preparations for Euro 2016 this summer. It is their last outing before Antonio Conte must pick his 23-man squad, so there will be plenty of players wanting to impress against what is a threadbare Scotland squad. Let's waste no time in finding out who has been picked, then!

SCOTLAND STARTING XI: Marshall; Paterson, Mulgrew, Martin, Hanley; Phillips, D Fletcher, McArthur; McCormack, Ritchie, Anya

SCOTLAND SUBS: Fox, Hamilton, Naismith, Berra, McKay, Bryson, Greer, S Fletcher, Kingsley, Burke

As we wait for the Italian team news, let's take a look at what we can make of that Scotland side. Gordon Strachan's hands are tied to an extent today, with the Scotland boss missing as many as 14 players who would usually make his squad for this match, and that's not even including Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes. Wallace, Martin, Hutton, McGregor and Bain have all withdrawn, while Gordon, Tierney, Forrest, Griffiths and Brown have not been included in the squad to give them a rest ahead of their early start to next season with Celtic.

In addition to that, Robertson, Snodgrass, Maloney and Bannan are all absent for this match due to their involvement in the Championship playoff final yesterday, although that quartet will join up with the squad after today and should be available for the game against France. It is, then, very much a makeshift side for Scotland this evening, which of course has an affect on what Strachan can really learn from the contest.

Full strength or not, it is a day that Callum Paterson will never forget having been handed his senior international debut this evening, slotting in at right-back. With Gordon, McGregor and Bain all out of the squad, Marshall is the only real option in between the sticks, with the other two goalkeepers in the reckoning yet to win a cap and probably coming in as Strachan's fifth and sixth choices.

Mulgrew and Martin will play at the heart of the defence this evening, while Hanley at left-back is one of only two survivors from the starting lineup of Scotland's last outing, against Denmark in March. That is the extent to which Strachan has been forced to switch his players around for this one, although he is able to welcome back bagfuls of experience in the middle of the park as Darren Fletcher captains the side.

Elsewhere in midfield, James McArthur will be looking to pick himself up from the disappointment of being part of the Crystal Palace side that lost in the FA Cup final last weekend, while on the wings Matt Ritchie and Ikechi Anya also ply their trade in the Premier League. Ritchie is the other survivor from that match against Denmark, and the Bournemouth man also scored the only goal of the game in that one, so will be hopeful of continuing that form today.

Leading the line will be Fulham's Ross McCormack, who has been chosen ahead of Steven Fletcher this evening. McCormack is coming off the back of a fine season in the Championship, but only on an individual level. His Fulham side really struggled and ended the campaign well in the bottom half of the table, but McCormack still managed to record an impressive goal and assist tally despite being at a struggling side. Without him, the Cottagers would have been in very real danger of relegation.

Well, Italy are being very tardy with their team news today, but Antonio Conte has already confirmed that neither Riccardo Montolivo or Thiago Motta will feature tonight as both are struggling with calf injuries. Conte is unwilling to risk them before the Euros, but the midfield pair are expected to be fit in time for this summer's tournament. The Azzurri have already lost Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio in the middle of the park, so they can't really afford any further setbacks.

Daniele De Rossi is another to be struggling with an injury ahead of this summer's tournament, but Conte revealed in his pre-match press conference that the experienced Roma midfielder will play some part tonight. His Achilles has been troubling him, but it can't be that bad if Conte is willing to give one of his most influential players a run-out. There is, of course, no Andrea Pirlo in the squad, so De Rossi is the most experienced midfielder they have left.

The Azzurri are certainly not short on experience, though, namely with Gianluigi Buffon in goal. The 38-year-old continues to perform at the very highest level, helping Juventus to yet another league title in the season just finished and breaking the Serie A record for amount of time without conceding in the process. He is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and is one of two survivors from the Italy squad that won the World Cup 10 years ago.

Right, well I'll bring you the Italy team news whenever they deign to release it, but for now let's take a look at Conte's side and what they can hope for at the Euros. It certainly isn't the greatest squad that they have taken to a tournament, and even accounting for their habit of turning up on such stages, the odds suggest that not many people expect them to go all the way in France. The hosts, Germany, Spain, England and Belgium are all shorter odds than Conte's side heading into the tournament.

ITALY STARTING XI: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Florenzi; Giaccherini, De Rossi, Darmian, Candreva; Pellè, Eder

ITALY SUBS: Sirigu, Marchetti, Astori, Rugani, Ogbonna, De Sciglio, Zappacosta, Parolo, Jorginho, Sturaro, Benassi, El Shaarawy, Bonaventura, Bernardeschi, Zaza, Insigne, Immobile

It is easy to see why Italy are so far down the pecking order when it comes to the favourites too. They have failed to win any of their four matches since the end of the qualifying campaign, a run which includes convincing defeats against Belgium and, in their last match, Germany. They have drawn with Spain during that spell too, but the fact that they are clinging to that result as their best in the build-up to a tournament is perhaps a good indicator of where they are as a team at the moment.

They weren't entirely convincing during qualifying either, despite being just one of four teams to go through the campaign without losing a game. The Azzurri won seven and drew three of their 10 qualifying matches to finish four points clear of Croatia, helped by the fact that Croatia were docked a point after a swastika was painted onto the pitch before they hosted the Italians last year. Only two of Italy's wins came by a margin of more than one goal, though, and their performances throughout left a lot to be desired.

Indeed, Croatia ended the qualifying campaign having scored more and conceded fewer goals than the Italians, and the level of competition is going to be significantly higher when they get to France. They have been drawn in a difficult group too, kicking off their campaign against Belgium - a team ranked second in the world - on June 13 before subsequent games against Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.

Questions could be asked as to whether today's friendly, and their upcoming one against Finland, will adequately prepare them for that group considering both of those opponents failed to even qualify for the Euros. However, Italy have a dreadful record in friendlies recently, going six without a win since November 2014 and emerging victorious in just three of their last 23 - a run that stretches back to 2011. Two of those three wins have come against San Marino and Albania too - not exactly great opposition - while the other came against Netherlands, who failed to qualify for the Euros this summer.

It could be that they have organised these two friendlies as a means of picking up a couple of wins to take into the tournament, then, but with Conte also keen to experiment with his squad before making his final selection, that could be a difficult balance to strike tonight. Conte still needs to trim his selection by seven players ahead of the May 31 deadline, and this game is the final chance for him to look at some of those on the fringe of the squad.

You'd expect the vast majority, if not all, of those selected by Conte today to be included in his final 23-man squad, though, so perhaps there won't be quite as much experimentation as we expected. It is bad news for a Scotland side who may have been expecting to come up against a slightly weakened Italian outfit today, and the fact that Conte has named a strong team could further exacerbate the threadbare nature of those available for selection for Strachan.

Scotland do come into this match in good form, though, having won each of their last three games, all without conceding a goal. Another victory this evening would not only be memorable as a very rare success over the Italians, but it would also give the Scots four triumphs on the bounce for the first time since 2007. Their most recent games came in March, when they beat both Czech Republic and Denmark 1-0.

Despite that decent form, Scotland must once again settle for being the warm-up act for teams heading to France this summer. It is now 18 years since they qualified for a major international tournament, and for the ninth time in a row they will be watching from home having finished fourth in their qualifying group. In fairness to the Tartan Army, they were drawn in arguably the toughest of the qualifying groups, but the history books will only remember another failed attempt to reach a tournament.

There were some memorable moments during that qualifying campaign, though. The Scots held Poland to draws home and away and also ran Germany very close in both of their meetings, losing 2-1 away before the world champions edged a 3-2 thriller at Hampden Park. There was also a victory over Republic of Ireland, who ultimately beat Scotland to second place, but in the end it was a 1-0 defeat away to Georgia that proved to be the most costly result.

The gap between Scotland and Ireland was just three points in the end, and Scotland certainly put up an admirable fight to reach the finals. They were the highest scoring team not to make it to France, with their tally of 22 goals being more than 15 of the 23 teams to have qualified for the tournament. That was, of course, helped by having Gibraltar in their group, but they did score three times past Germany and four times past Poland too.

Crucially, despite the disappointment of missing out on another major tournament, Scotland were able to tie Gordon Strachan down to another two years, which will take them through to the next World Cup. The qualifying draw has been kinder for the 2018 showpiece, although once again it won't be entirely straightforward for the Scots. They have been drawn alongside the auld enemy England, but while the Three Lions will be favourites, Scotland would fancy themselves to challenge Slovakia for second place in the group, which would take them in the playoffs. Malta, Lithuania and Slovenia make up the group.

Positive results tonight and against France in Metz on June 4 would certainly take them into their qualifying campaign - which starts here in Malta in September - in good shape, and they have a strong record in friendlies recently. They have lost just one of their last nine, including an ongoing run of four victories in a row, while their last friendly defeat to a team other than England was more than four years ago. They have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine friendlies, and each of their last seven friendly victories have been by a 1-0 scoreline. Another clean sheet today would see them keep four in a row for the first time since 1997.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff in Malta, which means that it is time for a prediction! Scotland, strangely enough, are the form team coming into this match, but Italy have named a strong squad and Scotland are without a whole host of first-team players. Italy also have more to gain from picking up the win here, so I'm going to go for a 2-0 triumph for the Azzurri.

Italy unsurprisingly dominate the history between these two sides having only ever lost one of their previous 10 meetings against Scotland. That came all the way back in November 1965 too, with John Greig scoring the only goal of the game in a World Cup qualifier for the 1966 edition in England. The other nine clashes have resulted in seven wins for Italy and two draws.

Greig's goal was the first that Scotland had ever scored against Italy, and they have only managed three more since. Kevin Gallacher is the only Scottish player to have scored away from home against Italy, doing so during a 3-1 defeat in Rome in 1993, while Kenny Miller (2005) and Barry Ferguson (2007) are the only other Scots to have breached the notorious Italian defence before.

That Ferguson goal came in the last meeting between the two sides, and it is not a game that will hold fond memories for Scotland. Luca Toni gave Italy the lead after just two minutes, but Ferguson's second-half equaliser gave Scotland hope of reaching Euro 2008. However, the then-world champions scored a 91st-minute winner through Christian Panucci to break Scottish hearts as they missed out on qualification to France by just two points.

The players are out, and anthems have been sung, although the stands aren't exactly full of supporters belting it out. Scotland, meanwhile, are wearing a very questionable bright pink kit for this match.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Italy get us underway a little behind schedule as they look to win the first of their Euro 2016 warm-up games.

Italy have dominated the possession in the opening exchanges of this match, and they are controlling the territory too. Most of the game has been played inside the Scotland half so far.

Scotland try to play out from the back, but Italy are quick to close them down and they win it back soon enough. Scotland just can't string a good run of passes together at the moment, and all of their possession is coming deep in their own half.

SAVES! Magnificent goalkeeping from Marshall! The Scotland keeper makes a sensational double save to keep the scores level, first reacting well to stop a De Rossi free kick that deflected off the wall and then recovering in time to deny Giaccherini from close range. That is a truly world-class double save.

SHOT! Another shooting chance for Italy as Bonucci strides forward out of defence and let's fly, but Marshall looks to have it covered all the way as it bounces narrowly wide.

I'm not sure Scotland have even had the ball inside the Italy half yet. They are just passing it about slowly on the edge of their own area, drawing Italy towards them to the extent that they then have to hoof it forward.

This truly has been dire from Scotland so far. They don't seem to want to play the ball forward at all, and while they are seeing a bit of possession now, it is mostly sideways passes inside their own third.

That Marshall double save apart, there hasn't been much to report from this match so far. Italy have been the better side, but neither have exactly grabbed this game by the horns yet.

Scotland create their first chance of the match as Ritchie lifts a ball over the top of the defence for McCormack, who has peeled off his man. He tries to volley it first time, but he scuffs the finish and it rolls harmlessly wide. The linesman's flag is up anyway.

We're still goalless as we approach the 20-minute mark in this match, which would be the first milestone Strachan set his side. If they can come away from this one with a draw then it would go down as an impressive result, particularly with the number of players they have missing.

Better from Scotland in the last couple of minutes as they begin to show a little more attacking intent. Anya collects the ball on the left and tries to take his man on for the first time tonight, but in the process he gives away a foul.

CHANCE! Big chance for Italy to break the deadlock, and again it falls to Giaccherini! The ball is lifted over to Candreva down the right flank, and his low cross hits two Scottish players before falling kindly for the Italy midfielder. He has time to pick his spot, but leans back and blazes an effort well over the crossbar.

Candreva again causes problems down the right with a cross that has Marshall worried and ends up beating the keeper. Paterson is behind him at the back post to put it behind for a corner, though.

SHOT! This time Candreva goes for goal himself, with the ball being floated out to the wing-back on the edge of the box from a corner. Candreva connects with his volley well, but it flies comfortably over the crossbar.

SHOT! Guess who? It's Candreva again who goes for goal here, as this time a corner is cleared out to him just outside the area. He lets fly with a first-time effort once more, but again sends it well over.

CHANCE! Another chance for Italy, and another chance for Giaccherini. De Rossi floats a lovely ball over the top for Giaccherini to race on to, and he stabs a first-time half-volley towards goal that flies inches past the post. Not the easiest chance, but he will be disappointed not to have scored.

CHANCE! Italy are really knocking on the door now, and the latest chance falls to Florenzi. The ball is cut back from the right flank, but Florenzi scuffs his low finish and it is cleared away at the back post.

Italy have ramped up the pressure over the last 10 minutes or so and really should be ahead in this match, but a mixture of poor finishing and that double save from Marshall has kept them at bay so far.

Half a chance for Italy as Giaccherini swings a cross in towards Pelle, but the Southampton man is heavily marked and can't get a clean connection on his effort.

Candreva almost gets in behind again as the ball is floated over the defence towards the wing-back, but this time the flag is up. He has been their busiest player going forward so far, though, with Anya struggling to deal with him.

CHANCE! Half a chance for Candreva again as he peels of Anya once more to latch on to a cross at the back post. He goes for yet another first-time volley, but slices this one wildly off target.

CLOSE! Florenzi finds space to shoot from around 25 yards and it is a decent effort that arrows towards the bottom corner, but ends up just a yard or so past the post. That is Italy's 11th shot of the night, but only two of them have gone on target, and those were in the opening exchanges with Marshall's double save.

SHOT! Another shot arrives, and another shot goes off target. The ball drops to Barzagli on the edge of the area and he goes for a volley, but he steers it past the post.

Italy are just camped inside the Scotland half at the moment, and they have been for pretty much the whole game so far. Scotland have not been in this game at all and will be delighted that the scoreline is still 0-0.

Eder wants a penalty having played a one-two with Pelle and broken into the box before going down under the challenge of Hanley. The referee says no, and the replay shows that he is right.

There will be two minutes added time at the end of this half as Florenzi attempts another long-range strike that goes well wide.

The referee brings an end to the first half in Malta, then, and somehow we are still goalless here. Italy have utterly dominated the match so far, with Scotland offering no attacking threat whatsoever, but the Azzurri have been too wasteful with their finishing. Even so, Scotland cannot afford to let Conte's side enjoy such one-way traffic for another 45 minutes.

The best chance of the match arrived after just seven minutes when Daniele De Rossi's free kick was pushed into a dangerous area by Marshall. The Scotland keeper recovered to smother Giaccherini's follow-up effort, though, pulling off a remarkable double save to prevent his side from falling behind early on.

Indeed, all of the best chances have fallen the way of Giaccherini, with the midfielder blazing one well over the crossbar when really well placed midway through the half. He also steered another first-time half-volley inches past the far post having latched on to De Rossi's floated pass over the top, but he is one of a number of Italians who have been wasteful with shooting opportunities.

Candreva has been another serial offender, although all of his efforts have been fairly speculative on their way wildly off target. He is a threat at Scotland need to deal with, though, as Anya has been repeatedly caught out down that flank so far today. Florenzi has also had a couple of long-range efforts, but none of Italy's 11 shots since Marshall's double save in the seventh minute have hit the target.

KICKOFF: Scotland get us back underway for the second half, and they have made two changes at the break with Steven Fletcher and Christophe Berra replacing McCormack and Paterson.

An injury to Hanley disrupts the start to this half, but the Scotland defender will be fine to continue here.

Another ball is floated over the top of the defence for Giaccherini, who looks to have another clear chance. He turns down the shot, though, and is then denied by the linesman's flag, although the replay shows that it was incorrectly raised.

Candreva finds his first bit of space in this second half, and Anya is again slow out to close him down. De Rossi is just pinging the pass out to the full-back and it seems to be working every time.

It is a monopoly of possession for Italy right now as they knock it about at their own pace, dictating the tempo of the game. It has almost been like a training match for them throughout this one.

A scramble in the Scotland area, but the ball just doesn't drop for Italy and eventually the defence can hack it away. They are clinging on to this clean sheet!

Finally Italy get the breakthrough, and it is some strike from Pelle too. De Rossi pass was initially intended for Giaccherini, who would have been clean through on goal himself, but Eder cuts it out and then leaves it for Pelle on the edge of the box. He hits it first time, curling a pinpoint finish into the corner to leave Marshall no chance. Finally, a bit of quality in the attacking third from Italy.

That is Pelle's fifth goal for Italy under Conte - more than any other player under the future Chelsea manager's reign. It is his first real chance tonight too, and he came up with that moment of quality.

ITALY SUBS: Conte makes two changes in the wake of that goal, with Lorenzo Insigne and Francesco Bernardeschi replacing Eder and Darmian.

ITALY SUB: That is quickly followed by another change as Candreva departs to be replaced by Lazio teammate Marco Parolo.

This is a sign of how little Scotland have offered in the attacking third - Ritchie makes a very rare foray into it, but then tries to play for just a corner and ends up booting the ball straight out of play. They haven't even had a set piece in a decent position tonight.

Italy will want a second goal here just to give them that cushion against any late Scotland pressure. They haven't looked like concede whatsoever up to this point, but it only takes one free kick or corner for that to change for a bit of breathing space would be welcome for the Azzurri.

ITALY SUBS: De Rossi looks to have come through his time on the pitch unscathed, which you'd think is enough to see him named in the squad. Pelle will also be in there, and those two comes off here to be replaced by Jorginho and Simone Zaza.

Just 20 minutes remain in this match now, and surely Scotland must begin to take a few risks now. They have nothing to lose, and as things stand they will leave Malta having put in a nothing performance.

SCOTLAND SUBS: Strachan turns to his bench to try to inspire something as Steven Naismith and Oliver Burke replace Anya and Phillips.

Scotland have won a corner! The biggest cheer of the night from the Scottish fans greets the award of the set piece... but it is short lived as the referee blows for a foul in the middle as the ball arrived in the box. That is genuinely the high point of their evening as far as attacking is concerned.

Italy now win a free kick in a good area but, despite the big men all coming up from the back, Bernardeschi drills a poor ball in that is easily cleared.

I'm not too sure how much we can really look into this Italy performance ahead of Euro 2016. On the face of it, they haven't come up with anything special, but at the same time they haven't been forced to get out of second gear.

CLOSE! Scotland almost steal an equaliser! Naismith picks up a loose ball inside the area and squares it to Ritchie, who powers an effort towards goal that ripples the side-netting. That is Scotland's first shot of the night!

ITALY SUB: Another change for Italy as Giaccherini is replaced by Giacomo Bonaventura.

Still Italy knock the ball about amongst themselves, but Scotland have certainly stemmed the flow of shots on their goal in this second half. Pelle's goal is the only shot I can remember off the top of my head since the interval, but as things stand that is all Italy have needed.

SCOTLAND SUB: Another change for Scotland here as Craig Bryson replaces James McArthur.

That Ritchie effort a few moments ago will act as both a warning shot to Italy and a source of inspiration for Scotland. Strachan's side really don't deserve anything from this game as they have been dreadful, but with less than five minutes remaining they are still in it.

Almost a dodgy moment for Buffon as he finds himself penned in by Naismith, but a man of his experience is not going to panic and he picks his spot to hit the ball out for a throw-in, allowing Italy to play out.

There will be three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match.

The referee brings an end to the game in Malta, and it is Italy who record a rather routine victory over Scotland in the end. Simply put, Scotland were rubbish this evening, managing just one shot on goal and that coming in the 78th minute. Italy created a lot more sights of goal, but their finishing let them down for the most part and, despite utterly dominating the match, Pelle's second half striker is all that separated the two sides in the end.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's friendly as Italy edge to a 1-0 victory over Scotland in Malta. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to check back in for plenty more Euro 2016 warm-up matches in the coming days. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!