It’s a sunny day in Coverciano, hopefully setting the tone for the Azzurre. The squad’s focus and confidence are clear to see, reflecting the maturity of Andrea Soncin’s side. The defeat to Sweden in their opening World Cup qualifier is already behind them as attention turns to tomorrow’s clash with Denmark, kicking off at 18:15 CET (live on Rai 2) at the Romeo Menti Stadium in Vicenza. Italy are aiming for a vital three points that would reignite their push for top spot in Group 1 and keep their hopes of direct qualification for the World Cup in Brazil alive. 

“When you have the honour of representing Italy, you also carry the pressure that comes with it,” the head coach said. “But it’s a great feeling to experience, we all dream of hearing the anthem and living moments like this together.” In his pre-training press conference, Soncin focused on two key elements: solidity and unity, the foundations needed to overcome their second straight Scandinavian test and return to winning ways, something they have not done since the European Championship quarter-finals. “Denmark have players competing at the highest level,” he added, “but we’re concentrating on ourselves. We need to correct certain details so we don’t expose ourselves to their vertical play, something that cost us against Sweden. We’ll aim for greater stability, even if the counterattacks we conceded three days ago showed the courage the players have developed, even against teams ranked far above us.” Shifting from tactics to mentality, an area he emphasises strongly, Soncin concluded: “We continue to work on and strengthen the team spirit. There’s a strong connection within the dressing room, and that’s something we’re extremely proud of. I’m sure every player will give everything on the pitch, as required when you wear this shirt.” 

‘We’re here for a reason… there will be tears of love,’ Ligabue sings in Miss Mondo ’99, the perfect soundtrack for this moment in Manuela Giugliano’s Italy career. At the Menti Stadium, just over 30 kilometres from her hometown, the 28-year-old from Castelfranco Veneto is set to move within one game of earning her 100th cap for Italy, a milestone she hopes to celebrate with a win in front of a packed crowd. “It’s important to put the European Championship behind us,” said the Roma captain. “We’ve taken valuable emotions and experience from it, but this is a new chapter and we want to live it to the fullest. It’s even better when we can share it with our fans, the supporters in Reggio Calabria pushed us right until the final whistle, and I’m sure they’ll be our extra strength again in Vicenza. Our goal is to keep bringing more people to the stadium, starting tomorrow.”

Like her teammates, the midfielder has moved on from what happened and is looking ahead, confident that the future can bring the same joy the team experienced last summer in Switzerland. “I only want to focus on the positives,” she said. “In all my years with the national team, I’ve never seen Sweden sit so deep and defend right in front of their own goal. That says a lot about our growth and ability. We’re a great group, and we’re working on every small detail to get the most out of ourselves, game by game. We can’t wait to play and that mentality will help us achieve important results.”

TICKETS

Around 5,000 tickets have been issued so far for the match. Tickets will remain on sale until 18:15 CET tomorrow through authorised Vivaticket outlets and on the website figc.vivaticket.it. Reduced rates are available for under-18s and over-65s.

HALF-TIME SHOW 

The Menti Stadium will also host a special performance during the Italy vs. Denmark match. At half-time, singer Sarah Toscano, who, like head coach Soncin, is from Vigevano, will take to the stage and perform songs from her debut album Met Gala.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Roma), Francesca Durante (Lazio), Laura Giuliani (Milan);

Defenders: Valentina Bergamaschi (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Huston Dash), Federica D’Auria (Lazio), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Washington Spirit), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (London City Lionesses), Elisabetta Oliviero (Lazio), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (Milan);

Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Bayern Monaco), Giulia Dragoni (Roma), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Matilde Pavan (Como), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Emma Severini (Fiorentina);

Forwards: Chiara Beccari (Juventus), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Michela Cambiaghi (Juventus), Sofia Cantore (Washington Spirit), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Benedetta Glionna (Inter), Martina Piemonte (Lazio), Elisa Polli (Inter).

Schedule, results and standings for Group 1 (League A) 

Matchday 1: Denmark 3-1 Serbia, ITALY 0-1 Sweden 

Matchday 2 (March 7): ITALY vs. Denmark, Serbia vs. Sweden

Matchday 3 (April 14): Serbia vs. ITALY, Sweden vs. Denmark 

Matchday 4 (April 18): Denmark vs. ITALY, Sweden vs. Serbia

Matchday 5 (June 5): Denmark vs. Sweden, ITALY vs. Serbia

Matchday 6 (June 9): Serbia vs. Denmark, Sweden vs. ITALY

Standings: Sweden and Denmark 3 pts, Italy and Serbia 0 pts