Roberto Mancini’s side are going in search of a sixth consecutive win in Group J tomorrow night with kick-off against Finland in Tampere at 20:45 CEST. Victory would leave Italy a step away from qualification to the European Championship finals.

On 23 March last year in Udine, goals from Barella and Kean allowed Italy to defeat Finland in the opening match of these European Qualifiers. Since then, Italy and Finland have both won a further four matches meaning the Finns are second in the group and only three points behind Italy. Kanerva’s side have closed the door with no goals conceded while Teemu Pukki has four goals in qualifying. A penalty from the Norwich City forward decided the last match in Tampere on Thursday night against Greece as Finland are still on track to make the European Championship finals for a first time in their history.

“They’re in better physical shape than our guys,” warned Roberto Mancini. “They’ve never conceded here and they’re a compact side. It will be a very tough game, a difficult match but we’ve come here to win.” 57th in the FIFA ranking, Finland have won one and drawn one of their previous 14 matches against Italy. “For now, this is certainly the most difficult match and it comes at a delicate time because we’re at the start of the season. Finland are doing really well in the group, they deserve to be second and they have the possibility of qualifying.”

Without the suspended Verratti, the Coach has already stated that Stefano Sensi will start while Lorenzo Pellegrini could play after scoring the goal to take the lead against Armenia. “He has a chance of playing, more in the middle than further forward,” Mancini added. “We still have two training sessions left, there are some tired players and we need to evaluate them. Of course, I will make changes.” The forward line could also be mixed up. “We’ll see how Belotti, Chiesa and Bernardeschi are. It’s the start of the season for us, to play in two matches and travel so much is quite heavy work.”

After struggling to score early on (8 goals in the first 9), Mancini’s side have now hit 16 goals in qualifying: “It was just a matter of time, we weren’t finishing before but we were creating chances.” The Coach also offered his praise for Emerson Palmieri: “He’s improved a lot, but he was a good player before at Roma.” Mancini also wasn’t too concerned about issues at the back in Yerevan: “We didn’t give much up, just a couple of counterattacks. When you haven’t played for a few months, there can be mistakes with positioning. Qualifying early for the finals would also give Mancini the possibility to experiment: “We would have the chance to try some quality young players and that could be useful for the future. Then, we’d have to win all the same for the ranking and World Cup draw.”

Jorginho was sat alongside Mancini in the press conference as he takes on an increasingly important role for Italy with his passing and tidy feet. “I have the ability to do what the Coach asks of me, it’s giving me confidence and I’m showing that I deserve it on the pitch,” he said. “Regardless of who plays tomorrow, we’ll go out to win. Finland are’t a surprise, they have quality players and they’re a really strong group.” 

The Chelsea midfielder then praised the standard of the Premier League: “It’s the league that gives you the most, my year there was also fundamental for the growth in the defensive side of my game.” Elsewhere in England. Pukki is showing what he can do with newly-promoted Norwich as he’s scored give goals in the opening four matches. “He’s an important part of their team, a complete forward. He times his runs, he has good positional sense, he runs, presses and never stops. He knows how to shield the ball, put his teammates through on goal and he’s a really dangerous player. If you watch his recent games, it’s not just a coincidence that he’s top scorer in the Premier League.” In 18 Italy appearances, Jorginho has just one goal which was a Nations League penalty against Poland. Tomorrow could therefore be an opportunity for him to boost his tally: “Maybe but I’d be happier to leave with the three points.”

The National Team's schedule

Saturday 7 September
17:30 (16:30 CEST) - Press conference with the Coach and one player at the Tampere Stadium
18:00 (17:00 CEST) - MD-1 Training at the Tampere Stadium (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)

Sunday 8 September
21:45 (20:45 CEST) - Finland vs. Italy at the Tampere Stadium. Meeting with the media after the game and then airport transfer
01:15 (00:15 CEST) - Flight departs from Tampere to Malpensa/Rome