At the end of March, the National Team will return to the pitch: Italy keep an eye on Turkey, Switzerland and Wales
Next month, the main club competitions take a break to make way for the International friendlies: the “eurorivals” of Mancini’s Azzurri will also be in actionWednesday, February 12, 2020
Four months. The countdown to UEFA EURO 2020, the first roaming European Championship in history to be played across twelve different cities over Europe, including Rome, is ticking down quickly and next month will prove to be a landmark on that journey.
The friendlies at the end of March, along with the play-offs to secure qualification for the finals, will give important indications as to the form and shape of the 20 finalists (as said, we will have to wait until the play-offs to see who the final four teams will be). Italy, who are part of Group A alongside Turkey, Switzerland and Wales, have already announced two prestigious fixtures against renowned opponents who have also already qualified for the European Championship finals. Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri will take on England in London on Friday 27 March, then four days later, on Tuesday 31, they will face Germany in Nuremberg.
Next month will also provide an opportunity to watch Italy’s ‘eurorivals’ who they will be facing at the Stadio Olimpico. Turkey, the Azzurri’s opposition on 12 June, will have two away games against Slovenia and Austria on Friday 27 March and Monday 30 respectively. Ryan Giggs’ Wales also have a double-header against Austria and then the United States on those same days. Vladimir Petković, the ex-Lazio Coach, who had chosen Trigoria, Roma’s headquarters, as the venue for his Switzerland team’s training camp, has instead organised a significant test for his team against Belgium in Qatar on 30 March: the Red Devils are the only nation, together with Italy, to have won all of their qualifying games.
Among the other high-profile friendlies in this international break are France vs. Ukraine, Sweden vs. Russia and the Netherlands vs. Spain.
EURORIVALS – THE LATEST RESULTS
TURKEY
|
11 October |
Turkey 1-0 Albania |
Istanbul |
|
14 October |
France 1-1 Turkey |
Saint-Denis |
|
14 November |
Turkey 0-0 Iceland |
Istanbul |
|
17 November |
Andorra 0-2 Turkey |
Andorra La Vella |
SWITZERLAND
|
12 October |
Denmark 1-0 Switzerland |
Copenaghen |
|
15 October |
Switzerland 2-0 Republic of Ireland |
Geneva |
|
15 November |
Switzerland 1-0 Georgia |
St. Gallen |
|
18 November |
Gibraltar |
WALES
|
10 October |
Slovakia 1-1 Wales |
Trnava |
|
13 October |
Cardiff |
|
|
16 November |
Azerbaijan 0-2 Wales |
Baku |
|
19 November |
Wales 2-0 Hungary |
Cardiff |
