The eve of a match always brings a sense of anticipation and excitement. After 10 days of camp at the Olympic Preparation Center in Tirrenia, the Italy Under-21 national team will travel to Yerevan this afternoon ahead of tomorrow’s match, which kicks off at 6:30 PM Italian time and will be broadcast live on Rai 2. It will be the Azzurrini’s penultimate Group E match in the qualifying campaign for the 2027 European Championship in Albania and Serbia, with the dates for the final tournament yet to be confirmed. A charter flight will take the Azzurrini to the capital of the “Land of Stones,” where they will face a match that looks one-sided on paper but could still prove tricky. Italy sits second in the standings with 21 points, while Armenia is bottom without a single point, having scored just four goals and conceded 23 in eight games. There was no contest in the reverse fixture, as Lipani and his teammates cruised to a 5-1 win at Cremona’s Stadio Zini, with goals from Dagasso, Fini, Camarda (two) and Ekhator. It will be the second time in recent history that the Azzurrini have faced Armenia in Yerevan. In October 2019, Italy came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to Gianluca Scamacca’s decisive goal. A month later, the teams produced six goals at Catania’s Stadio Massimino, with Scamacca finding the net again, alongside a brace from Moise Kean and goals from Andrea Pinamonti, Niccolò Zanellato and Enrico Del Prato. 

BALDINI’S PRESS CONFERENCE. The Azzurrini may have history on their side, but Silvio Baldini knows these waters far too well to be caught off guard. “The long break gave us a chance to work well,” the coach said at this morning’s press conference before the team’s departure. “The players were already familiar with most of the concepts, but spending so many days together, playing friendly matches and even going out to dinner twice helped us build team chemistry and work on the field. They need to approach these two matches with the desire to improve themselves, focusing on the performance and doing the right things. Despite any difficulties we may face, we need to focus on performing at our best, one game at a time.” Poland and Sweden will face off tonight, with the Azzurrini taking on Armenia tomorrow. The goal difference is also something to keep an eye on. “Yes, it could be important,” Baldini added, “but what we need to do on the field is always be proactive and dominate the game, regardless of the opponent. We need to be ourselves and enjoy playing. That’s the only way we can put in our best performance. If we are afraid of the result, we might still win, but we won’t have performed at our best.”

ENJOYMENT IS KEY. When Kayode scored against Turkey, the whole team celebrated in front of the TV as their teammate, who has since been called up to the senior national team, found the net. “But every one of them has what it takes to make the step up. We’re happy with the win the other night. There was a new energy about the team. It’s a cycle that can get off to a good start, and we hope to put in another strong performance against France.” Finally, Baldini spoke about the approach to the match in Yerevan: “When I coach players, I make my assessments based on the direct contact I have with them. We’ll approach Armenia as if they were Poland. They need to put in a good performance, feel free and enjoy themselves. Their biggest enemy is themselves, never the opponent. Our approach will be decisive. We can’t think that we’re playing the team at the bottom of the standings and become complacent, because that would prevent us from performing at our best.”