Where were we? Italy Under-21s begin their training camp today ahead of their final two qualifiers for the 2027 European Under-21 Championship. They travel to Yerevan to face Armenia on Thursday 1 October (18:30 CEST), before taking on Poland in Pescara on Monday 5 October (18:15 CEST). The final fixture will determine whether the Azzurrini can win the group and qualify directly for next year’s finals in Albania and Serbia, the 26th edition of the tournament.

SENIOR SIDE AND UNDER-21S. Back at the helm of his Under-21 side after his spell with the senior national team in June, Silvio Baldini spoke at his opening press conference in Tirrenia: “Whether it is the senior side or the Under-21s makes no difference to me. For me, the national team is these players. This is the group that fills me with joy when I coach them and pride when they play. The experience in June was hugely rewarding, particularly because their journey with the Under-21s accelerated their development and showed that they could hold their own at the highest level.” The squad met up last night and will hold their first training session this afternoon. Lipani and his teammates will also play friendlies against Empoli’s Primavera side on Thursday 24 September and Spezia’s on Sunday 27 September. “They looked happy and excited to be back together,” continued Baldini. “We have a longer break in which to prepare for these matches. Having ten days together will allow us to work more closely on certain details and focus on concepts that are usually more difficult to organise.”

FROSINONE AND CALL-UPS. Responding to a question from reporters, Baldini discussed Frosinone’s remarkable form: “Alvini’s is a wonderful story. Anyone who starts out at amateur level and reaches Serie A deserves enormous credit. It is an impressive journey. Beyond that, Frosinone are achieving outstanding results through the quality of their football, and I am delighted for them.” Five Frosinone players have been selected: Palmisani, Calvani, Cichella, Fini and Raimondo. However, the door to the national team remains open to anyone dreaming of wearing the Italy shirt. “We follow the various leagues and our scouting network is active every weekend. If I believe a player deserves a call-up, I will select him. The Youth National Teams do an excellent job, thanks in part to knowledgeable and capable people such as coordinator Maurizio Viscidi, who has devoted his life to this profession.” Baldini concluded by discussing his selections for the current camp: “We are also in close contact with the senior side. Mancini knows this group extremely well and understands which players could fit into his plans. This time, some of them have stayed with the Under-21s because we have these final, decisive qualifiers. Next time, they may step up to the senior national team.”

MEDIA ACTIVITIES AND ACCREDITATION. A player will attend tomorrow’s press conference, scheduled for Wednesday 23 September at 14:30 CEST. The first 15 minutes of every training session at the CPO in Tirrenia will be open to the media, while the friendlies against the Empoli and Spezia Primavera sides will be played behind closed doors. Any requests to access the Olympic Training Centre must be submitted by 18:00 CEST on the preceding day by emailing m.santi@figc.it.

The MD-1 press conference for Armenia vs. Italy will take place at the CPO in Tirrenia at 09:30 CEST on Wednesday 30 September and will also be available online. The press conference ahead of Italy vs. Poland will be held in the Gold Room at the Stadio Adriatico in Pescara at 19:30 CEST on Sunday 4 October. Please note that in-person access to the Pescara press conference, which will also be available online, will be limited to media accredited for the match on Monday 5 October and subject to the availability of workstations. Accreditation applications close at 12:00 CEST on Thursday 1 October.

TICKETING. Tickets are now on sale for Italy vs. Poland, the final match in Group E of qualifying for the European Under-21 Championship. The fixture will take place at the Stadio Adriatico Giovanni Cornacchia in Pescara on Monday 5 October at 18:15 CEST. Tickets can be purchased from authorised Vivaticket sales outlets and at ticketing.figc.it, with reduced prices available for under-20s and over-65s.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Giovanni Daffara (Parma), Diego Mascardi (Torino), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone);
Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia M’Gladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Torino), Costantino Favasuli (Napoli), Niccolò Fortini (Torino), Emanuele Lulli (Roma), Brando Moruzzi (Avellino), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund);
Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cremonese), Matteo Cichella (Frosinone), Giacomo Faticanti (Avellino), Mattia Liberali (Como), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma);
Forwards: Francesco Camarda (Milan), Luigi Cherubini (Benevento), Alphadjo Cisse (Milan), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Luca Koleosho (Paris), Antonio Raimondo (Frosinone).