Tommaso Allan gets the game up and running in Rome!

Here comes the Italian national anthem. Quite the rousing tune.

Prediction time! Thumbs up for Italy, thumbs down for Scotland...

Chris Paterson
Former Scotland international on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Italy have completely changed the way they play, now they throw caution to the wind. They want to play in the outside channels, and I think that plays into Scotland's hands.

We don't have the body mass Italy have, so if they go back to their traditional way it might cause us more trouble. I am expecting Scotland to win.

Scotland captain Stuart Hogg has made costly errors in the losses to Ireland and England, firstly dropping the ball over the line in Dublin, then failing to deal with a kick which resulted in a 5m scrum, from which England scored the decisive try at Murrayfield.

But he says he has not allowed those incidents to dent his confidence, having scored for Exeter during the fallow week.

"I will be doing my normal performance, going out to express myself and have some fun," Hogg said this week.

"But everybody concentrates on the negatives nowadays, rather than the positives that happened in the game.

"I believe I've done a lot of good stuff in the past couple of weeks as well. But everybody concentrates on the not-so-good moments.

Scotland could do with a big performance from their captain today.

Image source, SNS

After a 42-0 thrashing at the hands of Wales in Cardiff, Italy put in a decent second-half showing in Paris scoring three tries but ultimately losing 35-22 to France.

They always view Scotland as their best chance of victory, especially at home, so can they take the next step?

Scotland rarely have things all their own way in the eternal city, even in victory.

Since the Six Nations began 20 years ago they have lost in the Italian capital in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2012. They won with a 78th-minute penalty in 2006, a 79th-minute drop goal in 2014, and a 78th-minute penalty in 2018. Only three of the 10 meetings between these sides in Italy have not gone right down to the closing minutes.

Can your heart take it today?

Matt: Very confident we will lose today.... We are not good enough to be Italy at home who will be targeting us as a scalp...

Adam: Scotland fan? Confident? Absolutely not.

That's the spirit lads...

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking to BBC Scotland pre-match and wants to see a more clinical edge from his side this afternoon.

“We’ve set about winning the next three games. We were in positions to win the first two which is a step forward. We’ve been consistent. We just need to make sure that if we’re in positions like that today then we finish them off," he said.

"We aim to play to our potential every time we play. We’ve got the conditions to do that. It’s much better than two weeks ago. And we’ve also got a very tough opposition. We have to make sure we handle our defence but find a way to get behind their defence when we have the ball.”

Image source, SNS

Alessandro Zanni returns to Italy's starting line-up for his 119th cap, a grizzled veteran of the Six Nations and a quality operator.

The 36-year-old withdrew injured shortly before defeat to France and is Italy's only change from that match, with Dean Budd dropping to the bench.

Zanni's appearance will take him level with former prop Martin Castrogiovanni in second on Italy's all-time cap list. Behind only the great man, Sergio Parisse.

Image source, Getty Images

Only England scored more tries than Scotland's 14 in last year's championship, four more than Grand Slam winners Wales.

But they've struggled in attack in their opening two matches this year, failing to register a single try. Their defence, previously touted as the major problem, has tightened up though, so if they can click in the red zone then things will surely improve. Right?

Last time Italy won a Six Nations game - against Scotland on 28 February 2015 - Zayn Malik was still part of One Direction, Brexit wasn't a thing and 'Love me Like You Do' by Ellie Goulding replaced Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk' as the UK's number one single.

There was also full sugar Irn Bru....

Anyway, it's been a while. Italy head coach Franco Smith is taking charge of his first Six Nations and will be looking to end that woeful run and suggestions they should be dumped from the championship. And they always see Scotland as their prime target...

Image source, Getty Images

Let's have your thoughts on this game. Confident Scotland fans? Get involved at with the above hashtag.

Head coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes to the side beaten by England at Murrayfield.

Gloucester centre Chris Harris starts, having scored his only Six Nations try to date in the win against Italy last year, with Huw Jones dropped.

Injured Glasgow lock Jonny Gray is replaced by Edinburgh second row Ben Toolis, while former captain Stuart McInally is preferred to Fraser Brown at hooker.

There are also four changes on the bench, where Edinburgh forwards WP Nel and Grant Gilchrist, Glasgow flanker Matt Fagerson and Sale wing Byron McGuigan all come in.

There is a sense this is a must-win match for Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend on the back of a poor World Cup and successive Six Nations losses. Not to mention the scorn poured on him by now exiled fly-half Finn Russell in a newspaper interview a few weeks ago.

Former Scotland captain Andy Nicol told BBC Scotland : "It's a must-win in every sense, for the players and fans, but definitely for Gregor Townsend," he said.

"Wins are what give you credibility. In his first year he had three, which was on the back of Vern Cotter finishing his reign with three. That was the first time Scotland had done that back-to-back."

Crunch time.

Italy: Hayward, Bellini, Morisi, Canna, Minozzi, Allan, Braley, Steyn, Negri, Polledri, Cannone, Zanni, Zilocchi, Bigi, Lovotti.

Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Lazzaroni, Budd, Licata, Palazzani, Bisegni.

Scotland: Hogg; Maitland, Harris, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, McInally, Fagerson, Cummings, Toolis, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Brown, Dell, Nel, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Horne, Hutchinson, McGuigan.

Unlike in Scotland, the sun is splitting the trees in the Italian capital, making for good conditions for rugby. There shall be no repeat of the Calcutta Cup madness of a fortnight ago.

But will the sun be shining on Gregor Townsend's Scotland come full-time? They desperately need a win.

Stick with us for live text coverage, and there's radio comms at the click of a button at the top of the page!

Image source, SNS