PHOTO
TA' QALI, MALTA - JULY 16: The Italy team celebrate after the UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2022/23 final match between Portugal and Italy at the National Stadium on July 16, 2023 in Ta' Qali, Malta. (Photo by Seb Daly - Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images)
From the heat of Malta to the cold of Boras. Four months after the victory in Ta'Qali, the Under 19 Champions of Europe are back to defend the title won last July in Portugal. The Azzurrini, made up this year of players born in 2005 and 2006, arrived in Sweden a few hours later than expected on Monday due to a flight cancellation caused by bad weather. Coach Bernardo Corradi spoke, saying: "I have to thank the Federation for quickly finding an alternative solution. As I often say to the lads, 20% of life is what happens and the other 80% is how you react. The conditions are good for us: the squad has prepared well, and there is great enthusiasm for defending a European title. We need to remember that we are Italy and that it is an honour for us to wear this shirt in Europe".
Italy's campaign begins tomorrow, Wednesday 15 at 13:00 CET, with the game against Liechtenstein, in their group are also Switzerland and Sweden. Corradi stated: "It is not a simple round. We will play in a climate we aren't used to, on a synthetic pitch, but we aren't looking for excuses since the conditions will also be the same for the opposition. We need to work on the things we can control and manage, like approach and attention".
On Saturday 18, also at 13:00 CET, will see the second qualifier against Switzerland and the third fixture against Sweden will be played on Tuesday 21 at 18:00 CET. The top two at the end of the 13 rounds will be through to the Elite Round, as will the 3rd team ,which will be decided on results against the top 2 (Italy qualified from 3rd position last year before going on to win the title). The 27 teams that qualify will head to Portugal, with those at the top of the rankings already in the Elite Round. Hosts, Northern Ireland, have already qualified for the final phase in July, which will also function as a qualifier for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
The squad
Goalkeepers: Federico Magro (Lazio), Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma);
Defenders: Wisdom Amey (Bologna), Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Cristian Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Christian Corradi (Hellas Verona), Vittorio Magni (Milan), Marco Palestra (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Aaron Ciammaglichella (Torino), Luca Di Maggio (Inter), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Diego Ripani (Juventus), Marco Romano (Genoa), Kevin Zeroli (Milan);
Forwards: Lorenzo Anghelè (Juventus), Alphadjo Cisse (Hellas Verona), Simone Pafundi (Udinese), Alessio Vacca (Juventus).
Staff - Coach: Bernardo Corradi; National Youth Team Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Assistant coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Goalkeeper coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness coach: Marco Montini; Match analyst: Francesco Donzella; Medics: Paolo Manetti and Cristiano Benelli; Nutritionist: Micol Purrotti; Physiotherapists: Giuliano Gepponi and Giorgio Giannini; Tutor: Stefano Presciutti; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.
UEFA Under-19 Championships
First phase of qualifying
Group 4: ITALY, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Switzerland.
Matchday 1 (15 November)
13:00 CET: ITALY vs. Liechtenstein (Borås Arena in Borås)
18:00 CET: Switzerland vs. Sweden (Borås Arena in Borås)
Matchday 2 (18 November)
13:00 CET: ITALY vs. Switzerland (Borås Arena in Borås)
18:00 CET Sweden vs. Liechtenstein (Borås Arena in Borås)
Matchday 3 (21 November)
18:00 CET Sweden vs. ITALY (Borås Arena in Borås)
18:00 CET Liechtenstein vs. Switzerland (Hisingen Arena in Gothenburg)