After September’s victories over Montenegro (2–1) and North Macedonia (1–0), Italy’s U21s continue their European Championship qualifying campaign in Group E with two home fixtures: against Sweden on 10 October at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi in Cesena, and against Armenia on 14 October at the Stadio Giovanni Zini in Cremona (both kicking off at 18:15 CEST. After the first two matchdays, Italy lead the group on six points, level with Poland (who currently have a better goal difference), followed by Sweden and Montenegro on three points, while Armenia and North Macedonia remain without a point.

FOUR NEW FACES AND CAMARDA RETURNS. There are four new names among the 25 players called up compared to last month: defenders Nicolò Fortini (Fiorentina) and Alessandro Dellavalle (Modena), along with midfielders Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus Next Gen) and Alphadjo Cissé (Catanzaro). After missing out in September following a head injury sustained in Lecce vs. AC Milan, Francesco Camarda returns to the squad. It should be noted that Moruzzi, who was sent off against North Macedonia, will serve a one-match suspension and therefore only be available for the fixture against Armenia. The squad will gather on Sunday evening in Bagno di Romagna (at the Hotel Miramonti, which includes an adjacent training pitch), before heading to Cervia the night before the match in Cesena. The day after facing Sweden, the Azzurrini will travel to Cremona (staying at the Cremona Palace Hotel and training at the Arvedi Sports Centre).

“SFUMATURE DI AZZURRO” EXHIBITION. On the eve of the match against Armenia, Cremona will host the travelling exhibition “Sfumature di Azzurro” (Shades of Azzurro) from 10 to 14 October, in the Cortile Federico II on Piazza del Comune. Admission is free, from 10:00 CEST to 18:00 CEST.

PAST MEETINGS. This will be the third encounter with Sweden in the last four European Under-21 qualifying campaigns (after 2021 and 2023, with Italy topping their group on both occasions), making them one of the Azzurrini’s most frequently faced opponents in U21 competition history. In total, the sides have met 21 times: nine wins, eight draws and four defeats for Italy, with 32 goals scored and 21 conceded – Including the 1992 two-legged final that gave Italy their first European Under-21 title. By contrast, there have only been two meetings with Armenia, with Italy scoring seven (and not conceding) across these fixtures in 2019.

CESENA AND CREMONA. For the Under-21s, this will be the third visit to Cesena, just over a year since the 2-0 victory over Latvia on 22 March 2024. Meanwhile, it’ll be the Azzurrini’s fixture in Cremona, where they’ve recorded three consecutive wins. The first came on 20 April 1983, in a friendly against Spain (2-0, goals by Mancini and Mauro), which also marked the debut of local talent Gianluca Vialli.

TICKETS. Tickets for Italy vs Sweden (Cesena) and Italy vs Armenia (Cremona) are available through Vivaticket agencies and online at figc.vivaticket.it and vivaticket.com.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Tommaso Martinelli (Fiorentina), Diego Mascardi (Spezia), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone)*;

Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Alessandro Dellavalle (Modena), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Riyad Idrissi (Cagliari), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Luca Marianucci (Napoli), Brando Moruzzi (Empoli), Marco Palestra (Cagliari);

Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cesena), Alphadjo Cisse (Catanzaro), Matteo Dagasso (Pescara), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma);
Forwards: Francesco Camarda (Lecce), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria), Jeff Ekhator (Genoa), Seydou Fini (Genoa), Luca Koleosho (Espanyol), Simone Pafundi (Sampdoria).
*called up on 05/10 to replace the unavailable Edoardo Motta (Reggiana)