Following their opening victory against Serbia in Caernarfon two days ago (2-0), Alberto Bollini's Italy Under-19 side are back in action tomorrow at 15:00 CEST at The Oval, where they will face Croatia in the second round of Group B at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals in Wales.

Italy got off to the perfect start after a victory over Serbia. The Azzurrini, who trained this morning at the Colwyn Bay FC training ground, sit joint top of the group on three points alongside Ukraine, who came from behind to beat Croatia 3-1 in Bangor (Ivan Barić scored Croatia's goal from the penalty spot, while Dmytro Volodymyrovych Bohdanov, Nikita Kaliuzhnyi and Pavlo Lyusin were on target for Ukraine).

"Our opening win against Serbia gave us a real boost," Bollini told Vivo Azzurro TV, the FIGC's OTT platform where the full interview is available. "It was a difficult match against a strong opponent. The boys hadn't played for two months, but they coped well with the demands of competitive football. Tomorrow we face a very dangerous side who knocked France out in the Elite Round (Group 3) and have lost just one of their 13 matches this season: the defeat to Ukraine two days ago (Croatia 1-3 Ukraine). We need to approach this match with full focus."

Among Italy's standout performers against Serbia was Benfica midfielder Federico Coletta, born in 2007, who produced an energetic display and struck the crossbar early in the second half. "We won an important opening match," Coletta also told Vivo Azzurro TV. "We were up against a team that had come through a very difficult Elite Round, where they eliminated strong opponents such as France, Switzerland, and Norway. We started well, took the lead in the first half, and then sealed the game after the break. We need to carry on with this same drive, with the same spirit and togetherness that define us. We're a team that sticks together both on and off the pitch."

THE OPPOSITION. Coached by Siniša Oreščanin, Croatia feature in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals for the first time in ten years. Their previous appearance came in 2016, when Germany hosted the tournament, and France beat Italy 4-0 in the final in Sinsheim.

Croatia's qualification campaign was impressive. They topped Group 6 with a perfect record in the first qualifying round, played at home between 12 and 18 November, finishing ahead of Serbia (6 points), whom they will face again on 5 July in the final Group B fixture at The Oval in Caernarfon (16:00 local time, 17:00 CET), Georgia (3) and Gibraltar (0). The Elite Round, held from 25 to 31 March and also hosted on home soil, proved slightly more challenging, but Oreščanin's side still finished top of Group 3 with seven points, ahead of France (5), Switzerland (3) and Norway (1).

Croatia's squad includes several highly rated 2007-born talents, including Bayern Munich defender Ljubo Puljić, Werder Bremen midfielder Patrice Čović and Barcelona forward Lovro Chelfi.

The head-to-head record between Italy and Croatia is closely contested. In 15 meetings at Under-19 level, the Azzurrini have won six, Croatia five, while four matches have ended in draws. Their most recent encounter came on 3 September in Koprivnica, when the sides played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: 1. Tommaso Vannucchi (Cosenza), 22. Massimo Pessina (Bologna);

Defenders: 3. Matteo Cocchi (Inter), 4. Federico Nardin (Roma), 5. Andrea Natali (AZ Alkmaar), 6. Cristiano De Paoli (Como), 13. Francesco Verde (Juventus), 19. Mattia Marello (Inter), 21. Niccolò Rizzo (Juventus);

Midfielders: 7. Federico Coletta (Benfica), 8. Emanuele Sala (Milan), 10. Mattia Liberali (Catanzaro), 14. Christian Comotto (Spezia), 15. Samuel Wiafe (Modena), 16. Matteo Mantini (Grasshopper);

Forwards: 2. Javison Osarumwense Idele (Atalanta), 9. Jamal Iddrissou (Inter), 11. Mattia Mosconi (Inter), 17. Destiny Onoguekhan Elimoghale (Juventus), 20. Antonio Arena (Roma).

Staff – Head Coach: Alberto Bollini; Head of Delegation: Gianfranco Serioli; Youth National Teams Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Assistant Coach: Christian Maggio; Goalkeeping Coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco; Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso; Team Doctors: Andrea De Fazio and Francesco Maria Nifosì; Nutritionist: Dennis Dell'Unto; Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Simone Siciliano; Club Italia Scout: Alessandro Musicco; Administration, Finance and Control: Antonio Martuscelli; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Team Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

UEFA European Under-19 Championship Wales 2026 | Final Tournament

Group Stage (28 June – 5 July)

Group A: Wales, Denmark, Germany, Spain
Group B: Croatia, Serbia, ITALY, Ukraine

Matchday One

Sunday 28 June

Wales 0-7 Spain
Germany 4-3 Denmark

Group A standings: Spain 3 (+7), Germany 3 (+1), Denmark 0 (-1), Wales 0 (-7).

Monday 29 June

ITALY 2-0 Serbia
Croatia 1-3 Ukraine

Group B standings: Ukraine 3 (+2), ITALY 3 (+2), Croatia 0 (-2), Serbia 0 (-2).

Matchday Two

Wednesday 1 July

19:00 – Denmark v Spain, Central Park, Denbigh
21:00 – Wales v Germany, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Thursday 2 July

15:00 – Croatia v ITALY, The Oval, Caernarfon
19:00 – Serbia v Ukraine, Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Matchday Three

Saturday 4 July

15:00 – Denmark v Wales, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
15:00 – Spain v Germany, Central Park, Denbigh

Sunday 5 July

17:00 – Ukraine v ITALY, Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
17:00 – Serbia v Croatia, The Oval, Caernarfon

Knockout Stage (8–11 July)

FIFA U-20 World Cup Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan 2027 Play-Off (Wednesday 8 July)

15:00 – Third place Group A v Third place Group B, Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Semi-finals (Wednesday 8 July)

SF1 – 17:30: Group A winners v Group B runners-up, Central Park, Denbigh

SF2 – 20:00: Group B winners v Group A runners-up, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Final (Saturday 11 July)

20:00 – Winners of SF1 v Winners of SF2, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

NB: All kick-off times are in CEST (Central European Summer Time).