Ireland face Italy at the Aviva Stadium on 12 March in the fourth round of fixtures in this year's Six Nations championship.

The reigning champions have made a woeful start to their title defence, drawing at home to Wales before subsequent defeats away to France and England. Joe Schmidt's men will be looking to restore some pride in Saturday'ss game against a side they beat in the Pool Stage at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Italy are, likewise, a team that has struggled so far this Six Nations, losing their opening three matches against France, England and Scotland. With a trip to Cardiff to face Wales in the final round of this year's Six Nations Championships, the Azzurri face a tough task to avoid winning the wooden spoon for the 11th time in Six Nations history.

In this video, IBTimes UK sports editor Nick Howson previews the match and gives his predictions on who will emerge victorious.

Ireland vs Italy kicks off at 1:30pm GMT on 12 March. Live coverage is available on ITV One with commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Six Nations 2016
Six Nations