The Under-21 National Team will soon be resuming their Euro qualifying journey, with two games on the horizon: at 18:30 CET on Friday 25 March, they’ll face Montenegro at the Gradski Stadion in Podgorica; then, at 17:30 CEST on Tuesday 29 March, they’ll take on Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste.

For these two matches, Head Coach Paolo Nicolato has called up 27 players, who will meet at the Tirrenia Olympic Training Centre by 23:00 CET on Sunday. There will be five new faces in the group, with the defenders Antonio Candela (Cesena) and Mattia Viti (Empoli), midfielder Edoardo Bove (Roma) and the strikers Nicolò Cambiaghi (Pordenone) and Gianluca Gaetano (Cremonese) having received their first call-ups.

The Azzurrini are currently second in the Group F standings, one place behind table-toppers Sweden, but with two games in hand. They will have a double training session on Monday, as will be the case on Tuesday. On Wednesday, after training in the morning, they’ll depart for Podgorica.

The Under-21s are set to play in Trieste for the fifth time in their history. Having won two and drawn two (including the 0-0 friendly draw with Austria on 21 March 2019), they’re yet to taste defeat there. 

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Alessandro Plizzari (Lecce), Stefano Turati (Reggina);

Defenders: Raoul Bellanova (Cagliari), Antonio Candela (Cesena), Simone Canestrelli (Crotone), Matteo Lovato (Cagliari), Kaleb Okoli (Cremonese), Fabiano Parisi (Empoli), Lorenzo Pirola (Monza), Giacomo Quagliata (Heracles Almelo), Mattia Viti (Empoli);

Midfielders: Edoardo Bove (Roma), Alessandro Cortinovis (Reggina), Salvatore Esposito (Spal), Nicolò Fagioli (Cremonese), Manolo Portanova (Genoa), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolò Rovella (Genoa), Iyenoma Destiny Udogie (Udinese);

Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Pordenone), Matteo Cancellieri (Hellas Verona), Lorenzo Colombo (Spal), Gianluca Gaetano (Cremonese), Lorenzo Lucca (Pisa), Emanuel Vignato (Bologna), Kelvin K. Yeboah (Genoa).

Schedule 

Sunday 20 March 2022

By 23:00 – Meet-up at the Tirrenia Olympic Training Centre 

Molecular SARS-CoV-2 (Covid 19) Tests

Monday 21 March 2022

10:30                Training (behind closed doors)

13:15                Lunch

13:45                Press conference (Head Coach Nicolato) via Zoom (RAI in attendance)

16:30                Training (open to RAI)

 

Tuesday 22 March 2022

10:30                Training (open to RAI)

13:45                Press conference (two players) via Zoom (RAI in attendance)

16:30                Training (behind closed doors)

 

Wednesday 23 March 2022

10:30                Training (open to RAI)

17:00                Charter flight from Pisa to Podgorica

                         and subsequent transfer to the Hilton Podgorrica

Thursday 24 March 2022

10:30                Training (access for first 15 minutes)

13.45                Press conference (Nicolato) via Zoom (RAI in attendance)

18.30                Trip to the Gradski Stadion in Podgorica

 

Friday 25 March 2022

10:30                 Training (behind closed doors)

12:55                 Technical meeting

18:30                 Gradski Stadion in Podgorica: MONTENEGRO VS. ITALIA

                          followed by press conference via Zoom

22:30                 Charter flight from Podgorica to Trieste

                          and transfer to the Falisia Resort Portopiccolo – Sistiana

 

Saturday 26 March 2022

13:15                 Lunch

16:30                 Training (behind closed doors)

Sunday 27 March 2022

10:30                 Training (open to RAI)

13:45                 Press conference (player) via Zoom (RAI in attendance)

16:30                 Training (behind closed doors)

Monday 28 March 2022

08:30                Breakfast

10:30                Training (behind closed doors)

13:45                Press conference (Nicolato) via Zoom (Rai in attendance)

17:30                Trip to the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste

Tuesday 29 March 2022

10:30                Training (behind closed doors)

12:40                Technical meeting

17:30                Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste: ITALY VS. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

                        followed by press conference and return to respective clubs