The Azzurre completed their first training session of this exciting training camp yesterday on a cold afternoon in February with the sun shining bright, leaving a golden tinge to the green grassy pitches at Coverciano. At Italy's main headquarters, Milena Bertolini's side underwent another session this morning before jetting off for London in the afternoon. That flight has taken Girelli and teammates over the English Channel, where on Thursday they will face Belgium in Milton Keynes at 17:45 CET, in their first outing in this 2023 edition.

Only a few months on, again on English soil, the Azzurre will be looking for a kind of revenge after the Belgians  confirmed the Azzurre's departure from the Euros last summer. This game will be the opening game of the Arnold Clark Cup, with the competition running until Wednesday 22 February, which also sees South Korea and the current European champions, the Lionesses of England. These will be three testing games for the Azzurre, in preparation for the World Cup in just five months' time, where in another hemisphere, beyond the Equator, and thousands of miles away - in Australia and New Zealand - the Azzurre will hoping to go just as far in that competition.

 

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Fiorentina), Laura Giuliani (Milan), Katja Schroffenegger (Fiorentina);
Defenders: Valentina Bergamaschi (Milan), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Federica Cafferata (Fiorentina), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Sassuolo), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Benedetta Orsi (Sassuolo), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus);
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Aurora Galli (Everton), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Giada Greggi (Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Emma Severini (Fiorentina);
Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Sampdoria), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Michela Catena (Fiorentina), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Martina Piemonte (Milan), Elisa Polli (Inter), Annamaria Serturini (Roma).