The Sardegna Arena and the Stadio Renato Dall Ara will host the Azzurri’s final two friendlies before the European Championship, which will kick off on 11 June at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Italy will take on San Marino in Cagliari at 20:45 CEST on Friday 28 May, while a fixture against the Czech Republic will follow in in Bologna at 20:45 CEST on Friday 4 June.

Italy are thus set to take to the pitch for the sixth time in Sardinia: their previous five matches in Cagliari saw the Azzurri record two wins, draw twice and suffer a single defeat. The last time they played there was in February 2005, when they took on Russia in a friendly. Meanwhile, Italy have a positive record in Bologna, where they’ve picked up 15 victories, drawn three times and lost on three occasions. Their last game at the Dall’Ara was in September 2018, when they played out a 1-1 stalemate with Poland in the Nations League.

When the Azzurri came up against San Marino in friendlies in 1992 and 2013, they ran out 4-0 winners on both occasions. In May 2017, when Head Coach Ventura was at the helm, an experimental line-up beat the same side 8-0 in Empoli in May 2017. Meanwhile, the Azzurri have won twice, drawn on two occasions and also suffered two defeats against the Czech Republic. Their last match against the Czechs was in September 2013 in Turin, where they emerged 2-1 victors to secure their place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.