The National Under 16 team will gather on Tuesday 27 September in Turin, a two-day session dedicated to young players that have never been selected in the past, organised with the aim of enlarging the group. 18 players have been called up who will face the Juventus team from the same age group at 11.30 CEST on Wednesday 28 September in Vinovo, in a friendly behind closed doors.

'We want to widen the base of the pyramid as much as possible,' explains the coordinator of the National Youth Teams Maurizio Viscidi, 'so that if the senior national team draws players from the Under-21 national team, we do not run the risk of being 'short'. It is also fundamental not to waste the talent of those youngsters, perhaps born in the latter months of the year, who are not yet ready to perform on the international stage from a physical point of view, but who are ready to begin to appear for the national team'.

In addition to the Under 16s, the Under 15s will also have a series of additional meetings during the course of the season in order to be able to evaluate a greater number of youngsters: 'In these sessions,' Viscidi emphasises, 'the coaches of the two national teams, Daniele Zoratto and Massimiliano Favo, will play the role of technical directors, while their deputies, Davide Cei and Matteo Barella, will be the coaches, so that they can gain valuable experience for their professional growth.'

The Squad List:

Goalkeepers: Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Emanuele Finardi (Atalanta);
Defenders: Salem Albé (Milan), Pantaleo Cretì (Monza), Lorenzo Malanca (Sampdoria), Elia Galletti (Atalanta), Gianluca Maggiore (Atalanta), Raul Zinni (Roma);
Midfielders: Guido Della Rovere (Cremonese), Andrea Mussini (Sassuolo), Edoardo Casadei (Torino), Lorenzo De Caro (Roma), Marco Genovese (Sampdoria), Sebastiano Ebano (Spezia), Antonio Stefano Merola (Juventus);
Attackers: Gabriele Mazzetti (Bologna), Kevin Stella (Verona), Tommaso Principe (Monza).

Staff – Technical Coach: Davide Cei; Technical Assistant: Daniele Zoratto; Fitness Coach: Luca Coppari; Goalkeeping Coach: Fabrizio Capodici; Doctors: Vito Caiolo e Giuseppe Bastone; Physiotherapist: Alessandro Sferrella; Nutritionist: Vito Flavio Valletta; Secretary: Alessandro Lulli.