With Silvio Baldini leading the senior men’s team for the friendlies against Greece and Luxembourg, the U21s will be coached by Carmine Nunziata (coach of the U20s) for the friendly against Albania on Monday 8 June in Fontanafredda (18:15 CEST). Nunziata is very familiar with this age group, having previously overseen the U21s for 23 matches over a two-year spell between 2023 and 2025. The match against the Albanians will be a chance to see what some of the most promising young talents in Italian football have to offer. Even though most of the U21 players have been called up to the senior squad, there will still be a core group in Friuli who have experienced Baldini’s spell in charge so far, alongside a new wave of U20 players selected by Nunziata. It’s an important opportunity for growth within the national youth team pathway.

SQUAD LIST. Nunziata has selected 23 players, with Berti, Fortini, Guarino and Vavassori set to train with the senior side at Coverciano until Sunday 31 May. In addition to those four, Mascardi, Calvani, Zeroli, Mannini, Okoro and Pafundi have already had experience in the U21 setup. Nine of the players called up were born in 2006, while Cristian Cama (the only 2007-born player) is the youngest in the group. Despite his age, he already has 50 appearances at international youth level and was part of the U17 side that won the European Championship in Cyprus in 2024.

OPPONENTS. It will be the U21s’ seventh meeting with Albania, the most recent of which dates back to September 2018 (a 3-1 win in Cagliari, with goals from Dimarco, Murgia and Parigini). Overall, the Azzurrini have won five of the six previous encounters, with one draw – a 0-0 friendly stalemate in August 2016 in San Benedetto del Tronto. Italy’s biggest victory came in 2007 during Euro qualifying – a 4-0 win that saw Lupoli, Criscito, Dessena and Acquafresca find the net in Pontedera.

THE AZZURRINI IN FONTANAFREDDA. Fontanafredda will host the U21s for only the second time in history. The only previous occasion dates back to 12 November 1986, when Italy and Austria played out a goalless draw in a friendly. That day, Cesare Maldini’s line-up included the central defensive pairing of Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, while Nicola Berti played in attack.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Diego Mascardi (Spezia), Lapo Siviero (Torino), Lorenzo Torriani (AC Milan);
Defenders: Wisdom Amey (Pianese), Adam Bakoune (Monza), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Cristian Cama (Roma), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Brando Moruzzi (Empoli), Giacomo Stabile (Bari);
Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cesena), Aaron Ciammaglichella (Juve Stabia), Leonardo Colombo (Monza), Mattia Mannini (Juve Stabia), Fabio Rispoli (Catanzaro), Kevin Zeroli (Juve Stabia);
Forwards: Gabriele Alesi (Catanzaro), Matteo Lavelli (Inter), Alvin Okoro (Juve Stabia), Simone Pafundi (Sampdoria), Emanuele Rao (Bari), Dominic Vavassori (Atalanta).