Leonardo Bonucci knows what it's like to play in a European final. Alongside Giorgio Chiellini, he’s the only other member of the 25 Azzurri travelling to Wembley tomorrow to have played nine years ago in Kyiv. During this game, a tired Italy side, perhaps weakened after the semi-final against Germany, were unable to overcome the overwhelming power of a much stronger Spain, who went into that final as reigning European and World Champions. As in 2012, according to the bookmaker's odds, Italy are not the favourites, but the overall mood is that the match against England could be much more balanced. During a press conference, Bonucci stated: "England have a top defence. I said some time ago that they were one of the contenders to win the Euros and in fact, they’ve made it to the final. We'll need to be alert in the defensive phase and clinical in order to score. We can't wait to get out onto the pitch; we want to make history”.

After the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Italy have begun anew thanks to the long-term outlook of Roberto Mancini. Bonucci, who on Sunday will become the Azzurri player with the most appearances at the Euros (18), explains the Coach’s quality: "I didn't think I would get to play in a final straight away, but I knew that the way back to the top wouldn't be difficult. The Coach worked with us psychologically, giving us confidence, enthusiasm and self-esteem, and he also puts talent and quality onto the field, which makes you win in football. Playing with so much talent in midfield and with three forwards has made our journey easy".

To those who ask him if he is worried about a stadium being almost all for England, about possible referee bias for the hosts, or that Italy could complain about being in optimal physical condition, he answers decisively: "That’s absolutely no excuse! We only think about playing football, having fun, and bringing enthusiasm. The rest is just talk. Sunday will be the best possible spectacle for European and World football, we will play at their home ground but that doesn’t scare us. We’re not tired, we’ve had a lot of time to recover and we're ready to do battle. Winning the Euros would be important for Italian football, for the Federation and for every single player on the National Team. It would be a great dose of enthusiasm and joy for the Italian people".

After Andrea Barzagli's retirement, the famous BBC lost an important piece, but not the guarantee of impenetrability that made the partnership famous. And so, even today the duo of Bonucci and Chiellini makes for a formidable sight for opposition attackers, it is an exam to be passed for those who dream of a goal scorer’s licence: “My relationship with Giorgio? I’ll just tell you that on Monday we will return from the European Championship and two days later we go on holidays together”. This time, the task for the two Azzurri defenders will be trickier than usual because the unpredictability of Sterling will add to the variety of shots by Harry Kane, who is hunting for a goal that would draw him level with Cristiano Ronaldo and Schick at the top of the Euros goalscoring charts: “England have very strong forwards, we’ll need lots of attention not only from us defenders but from the whole team. We will have to be very attentive to the speed of their inside forwards, their wingers, and the physicality of their players up front”. And on Harry Kane: “He has been doing well with Tottenham and with the English national team for years and years, he is one of the strongest strikers in the world”.

If Mourinho's compliments pleased him, he did not share the criticisms that accompanied Immobile’s latest performances: "Even when they don't score, Ciro and Gallo do a fundamental job for us, doing the dirty work both in possession and not in possession. They must remain calm, but unfortunately, strikers are criticised when they don't score a goal. I’m also convinced that on Sunday they will give their all and that they will be decisive, why not”. An incident that has collected plenty of likes in recent days is the one with the steward, who during the celebrations at the end of the penalty shootout with Spain, mistook him for a fan invading the pitch and tackled him for a few seconds before recognising him: "They have to spend hours paying attention to the fans and it can happen that they make mistakes. If I see her on the sidelines on Sunday, I’d hug her again”.

That being said, the announcement that the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella will be among the spectators is a further incentive to do well: “We would like to give joy to him and to all Italians”. Bonucci also made an appeal to the fans in the event that Sunday evening ends in triumph: “I’ve seen images that must be stigmatised. And for this, I want to invite everyone to celebrate with the utmost respect, for themselves and for others”.

Itinerary (all times CEST)

Saturday 10 July
11:00 - Departure from Florence to London Luton
16:15 - Press conference and exclusive interviews
19:00 - Training (open for first 15 minutes)

Media activities and training to take place at The Lodge/Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground

Sunday 11 July
21:00 - Italy vs. England
Following the match, departure from London Luton to Rome