Only two days remain until the return fixture against Belarus, and Italy Women cannot wait to experience the atmosphere at Florence’s Stadio Artemio Franchi once again. At the stadium where they celebrated qualifying for the 2019 World Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, the Azzurre are ready to take another - though not yet decisive - step towards the next edition of the tournament. The second and final play-off round will be played on 1 and 5 December against the winner of Finland vs. Serbia, with Finland holding a 3-1 lead after winning on home on Friday.

The 2-0 victory secured at the neutral venue in Tbilisi provides an excellent starting point, but Italy now want to move up through the gears, put the Belarus tie to bed quickly, entertain the crowd and build even greater confidence ahead of the final push for World Cup qualification. “We are working to improve the aspects of our game that were lacking in certain situations two days ago,” said Manuela Giugliano. “Perhaps it was reasonable to expect a more emphatic scoreline, but every match is difficult now and our job is to turn the page and focus solely on the next one. We need our central midfielders to provide more penetration and make more runs from deep to support the strikers. We also need to make the most of every chance that comes our way, because scoring goals also boosts the entire group’s confidence.”

The Roma captain’s eyes light up as she recalls the victories at the Franchi in 2018 and 2021. In the first, a 3-0 win over Portugal, Girelli opened the scoring with a header from her cross - a carbon copy of the assist she supplied for Piemonte on Friday. In the second, a 12-0 win over Israel, ‘Manu’ rounded off the scoring with an unstoppable low drive that effectively sparked the team’s celebrations. “I would love to experience the same emotions I felt on those two evenings. It is a stadium I really like and one that brings us luck. We are delighted to be playing such an important match in Florence. Obviously, we hope to see lots of people in the stands, with plenty of children and parents, because they give us something extra. Feeling the support and hearing the roar of the fans is fundamental in our sport and often gives you the energy to make that extra run for a teammate.”

With 104 caps and eleven goals to her name, Giugliano’s next mission for Italy - she turns 30 on 18 August next year - is to play a leading role at what would be the third World Cup of her glittering career. “It is one of my personal goals, as it is for all of us. We work hard every day to have the chance to experience something like that. The World Cup is the pinnacle of what we can aspire to, and we want to be ready. There is still something we have yet to achieve in an Italy shirt, but I will not say what it is because I do not want to tempt fate. What is certain is that I will give everything I have - and we all will - to reach Brazil and achieve something significant.”

After yesterday’s recovery session, Italy returned to the pitch at Coverciano this morning to begin preparing for the second leg against Belarus, who are 52nd in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking. The build-up will continue at the Franchi tomorrow with a press conference at 15:30 CEST and the final training session at 17:00 CEST. Tickets will remain on sale until 18:15 CEST on Tuesday via ticketing.figc.it and at Vivaticket outlets, with reduced prices available for Under-20s, Over-65s, university students and Fiorentina season-ticket holders.

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Roma), Francesca Durante (Como 1907), Astrid Gilardi (Como Women), Laura Giuliani (Stuttgart);

Defenders: Valentina Bergamaschi (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Houston Dash), Federica D’Aurica (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Washington Spirit), Michela Giordano (Napoli Women), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elisabetta Oliviero (Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (AC Milan);

Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Real Madrid), Giulia Dragoni (Chelsea), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Annamaria Serturini (Juventus), Emma Severini (Fiorentina);

Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (San Diego Wave), Michela Cambiaghi (Inter), Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit), Cristiana Girelli (Bay FC), Benedetta Glionna (Inter), Martina Piemonte (Roma), Elisa Polli (Inter).