England and Portugal will be the U20s’ next opponents in the Elite League. Following their 1-0 victory over Poland in front of 8000 fans at the Stadio Ceravolo in Catanzaro, the Azzurrini will next take to the pitch on Thursday 16 November in Doncaster (20:00 CET). They’ll then face Portugal at the Stadio Enzo Ricci in Sassuolo on Tuesday 21 November (14:00 CET) four months on from when they beat the same side in the European Under-19 Championship final.

Alberto Bollini has called up 23 players for the upcoming matches, with the group set to meet at the Olympic Preparation Centre in Tirrenia on Monday 13 November. They’ll then depart for England two days later before returning to Italy on Friday 17 November. The Azzurrini will prepare for their match against Portugal at the Mapei Football Center in Sassuolo.

AS IT STANDS. After three matches (a draw in Germany and wins in the Czech Republic and at home to Poland), Italy sit second in the Elite League standings behind Germany, who, however, have played a game more.

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS. Italy U20s and their English counterparts have met on nine occasions: there have been two Azzurrini wins, three draws and four victories for England. The last encounter between the sides saw Italy emerge 2-1 victors in the round of 16 of the U20 World Cup (a goal from Tommaso Baldanzi and a penalty from Cesare Casadei), with the Azzurrini going on to finish runners-up. The U20s are set to take to the pitch in Sassuolo for the fourth time: they last did so in November 2022 when they beat the Czech Republic 2-1 thanks to goals from Giuseppe Ambrosino and Claudio Cassano. Italy and Portugal, meanwhile, have crossed paths ten times at U20 level: the Azzurrini have recorded four wins compared to Portugal’s three, with three draws completing the picture. The last meeting between the sides finished in a 2-1 victory for the Azzurrini in the Elite League following goals from Cesare Casadei and Cristian Volpato, the latter of whom currently plays for Sassuolo.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Davide Mastrantonio (Monterosi Tuscia), Lorenzo Palmisani (Olbia);
Defenders: Samuele Angori (Pontedera), Giovanni Bonfanti (Atalanta), Alessandro Dellavalle (Torino), Alessandro Fontanarosa (Cosenza), Filippo Missori (Sassuolo), Iacopo Regonesi (Atalanta), Alessandro Pio Riccio (Modena), Filippo Terracciano (Verona);
Midfielders: Lorenzo Amatucci (Fiorentina), Giacomo Faticanti (Lecce), Luis Hasa (Juventus), Lorenzo Ignacchiti (Pontedera), Tommaso Milanese (Ascoli), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Federico Zuccon (Cosenza);
Forwards: Federico Accornero (Pescara), Nicholas Bonfanti (Modena), Luca D'Andrea (Catanzaro), Daniele Montevago (Gubbio), Nicolò Turco (Liefering), Cristian Volpato (Sassuolo).

Staff – Head Coach: Alberto Bollini: Assistant Coach: Marco Scarpa; Delegation Head: Evaristo Beccalossi; Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco; Youth Goalkeeping Area Coordinator: Gaetano Petrelli; Goalkeeping Coach: Francesco Antonioli; Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso; Doctors: Carmelo Papotto, Raffaele Iorio, Lorenzo Ticca; Physiotherapists: Angelo Cartocci, Giuseppe Galli; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli; Secretary: Luca Gatto

ELITE LEAGUE 2023-24

Thursday 16 November
20:00 CET – England vs. ITALY (Doncaster)
Friday 17 November
16:00 CET – Portugal vs. Norway 
17:00 CET – Romania vs. Germany
17:30 CET – Czech Republic vs. Poland
Monday 20 November
18:00 CET – Germany vs. England
Tuesday 21 November
14:00 CET – ITALY vs. Portugal (Sassuolo)

Standings (number of games played in brackets): Germany (4) 8; Italy (3) 7; Norway (2), Romania (4) and Portugal (4) 6; Poland (3) 4; England (2) and Czech Republic (4) 0

ITALY’S CALENDAR
Thursday 21 March 2024: Romania vs. Italy
Monday 25 March 2024: Italy vs. Norway

Previous results

Thursday 7 September
Germany 1-1 ITALY
Romania 2-0 Czech Republic

Friday 8 September
Poland 4-0 Portugal

Monday 11 September
Poland 1-1 Germany
Czech Republic 0-1 ITALY

Tuesday 12 September
Portugal 2-1 Romania

Thursday 12 October
Romania 2-0 England
Norway 2-1 Czech Republic

Friday 13 October
Portugal 1-2 Germany
ITALY 1-0 Poland

Monday 16 October
Norway 5-0 Romania

Tuesday 17 October
Germany 4-2 Czech Republic
England 1-2 Portugal