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Remind me next time

The Rugby World Cup continues this week and one of Thursday's two matches sees Italy face Canada in Pool B.

With New Zealand and South Africa also in the group, it would be a huge surprise to see either side progress and their respective tournaments may well be defined by games like this.

Italy v Canada Betting Odds

Getting a win on the board is always a nice way to start a World Cup and Italy had no issues in their 47-22 win over Namibia.

Coach Conor O'Shea noticeably withdrew a number of his players early on Sunday with an evident eye on the match in Fukuoka, while Jake Polledri could earn a start in the back-row after his try-scoring performance off the bench.

The Azzurri are 1/14 to win in Fukuoka and that is probably a fair price considering their superiority.

They also won 23-18 when these teams met four years ago in Leeds and will be excited about another chance to throw the ball around having looked fluent against the Namibians.

The Canucks are set for their first game of the tournament and are 10/1 to come out on top.

Their build-up to the event saw them lose all three of their Pacific Nations Cup ties, while they also suffered defeat to the USA in Vancouver earlier this month.

In fact, Canada were close to missing out on Japan 2019 but came round in the nick of time and will see winning this match and the fixture against Nambia on October 13 as their main goals for the competition.

Italy v Canada Team News

As mentioned, Polledri could start in the back-row, although both Braam Steyn and Maxime Mbanda looked good either side of talisman Sergio Parisse.

Tomasso Allan and Tito Tebaldi will again be paired at half-back, while Marco Riccioni may start at tighthead after Tiziano Pasquali went off nursing a shoulder injury in the first half against Namibia.

For the Canucks, Glasgow's DTH van der Merwe remains a fiercely underrated winger, while skipper Tyler Ardron will look to lead from the front having excelled in Super Rugby with the Chiefs.

Italy v Canada Prediction

Italy to win by 1-12 @ 17/2 BET NOW

Looking at this match from a distance, it is hard not to reflect the odds in backing Italy for a decent win.

They looked pretty handy against Namibia and O'Shea's decision to withdraw some of his troops early on Sunday should pay dividends.

Italy are still a bit creaky at the line-out though, while they also conceded three tries in Higashiosaka.

Although both teams probably view themselves as forward-orientated, tries could be a feature in this match and keep an eye for a decent affair.

Despite possible fatigue, Italy are still the better team and should ease to their second win of the tournament.

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