First Spain, now Belgium. The Azzurri are set to face another side that they played at the European Championship, with the La Roja having got revenge for their penalty shootout defeat in the semi-finals in London. On Sunday, Italy will come up against the Belgians in the third-place playoff in Turin, a team they beat 2-1 on 2 July in Munich at the quarter-final stage of the Euros. After taking a two-goal lead into the break, Martinez’s team let their lead slip against France, who ran out 3-2 winners following Theo Hernandez’s 90th-minute goal. On Sunday evening, the French will take on Spain in the final.

The Azzurri will train this afternoon to continue their preparations for Sunday’s showdown. One player who could start against Belgium is Manuel Locatelli, who came on in the final half an hour against Spain and carried on his excellent form. The Juventus midfielder, who bagged the winning goal for his club side in their derby clash against Torino last Saturday, was one of the best surprises at the Euros and is now trying to carve out an increasingly important role for the National Team. “You can only do some things if you’re doing well on a mental level,” he said during his press conference today. “It’s a vital aspect and I’m trying to work on this. Of course, I’m more mature than I was a few years ago. The European Championship helped me and I’m receiving lots of advice at Juve, especially from Bonucci, Chiellini and the coach.”

Looking back at the semi-final showdown against Spain, Locatelli gave Italy’s opponents credit: “They’re strong and have a way of playing that they carry forward from youth football. If the match had gone differently, however, we could have had our say because we’re also a good team. Certain incidents were decisive, although we did well in the second half and managed to score. We put in a performance that was full of heart and character. We shouldn’t lose confidence because we've lost one match: we’re strong in every department, there’s unity and we’re calm.”

Ranked first in the world, Belgium have some fantastic players like, for example, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, but, as was the case against France, they often seem to stumble just as it looks like they’re about to take off. Nevertheless, Mancini’s men will need to be at their best to beat them: “We know the players that Belgium have in their ranks. De Bruyne and Lukaku make the difference and we know what we need to watch out for on Sunday. We’re playing at home and want to win, also with our world ranking in mind.”

Manuel developed as a player at AC Milan, and it’s at the Rossoneri where, after a complicated year, Sandro Tonali is now showcasing his talents. He’s another young midfielder with good feet and quality who always puts in a shift: “He’s a good player, and I wish him all the best. We have different characteristics and could play together, but the Head Coach will decide this.”

Away from the action on the pitch, Donnarumma was booed against Spain (“He’s calm, we gave him a hug”) and Koulibaly, Osimhen and Anguissa were subject to racist abuse when Napoli faced Fiorentina on Sunday: “Something must be done immediately. As players, we need to speak out, but, above all, big decisions must be taken by the authorities. It’s crazy, and racists must not be allowed to enter stadiums.” On kneeling before the match against Belgium as a sign of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, Locatelli had the following to say: “We’ll do what we did at the Euros: if they take to the knee, we will too.”

NOTE FOR EDITORS – By clicking on this link https://dam.gettyimages.com/s/twwqszbpwm2nxmjccxhtq9k, you can download photos from Locatelli’s press conference. The images can be used by entering the words: Credits: Getty for Figc

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Davide Calabria (Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Emerson Palmieri (Lione);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain);
Forwards: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Kean (Juventus), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo).

Schedule (all times CEST)

Friday 8 October
17:00 - Training
Saturday 9 October
11:00 – Training (first 15 minutes open to UEFA accredited media outlets for the first 15 minutes)
15:15 – Transfer from Coverciano to Turin
19:45 – Press conference at the Juventus Stadium
Sunday 10 October
15:00 – Italy vs. Belgium at Juventus Stadium (Srdjan Jovanvic, SRB, will be the referee)
Followed by a press conference and a return to respective clubs