After their victory over Poland, the U20 National Team are now on the hunt for their first home win in the Elite League. At 14:00 CET tomorrow, Bernardo Corradi’s side, who have won twice on the road so far, will face Romania after previous late defeats to Germany (in Rieti) and England (in Frosinone). “Football gives and takes: while we lost in the closing stages against Germany and England, things went our way against Poland,” said the Head Coach. “Against Germany, we lost after conceding two goals in the final two minutes and having a chance to equalise. We also conceded late on against England, but the growth process is what interests me the most.”

In March, thanks to a 0-0 draw in Târgoviște, Italy won the last edition of the Elite League. “We’ll be up against a physical and determined side,” continued Corradi, who will have to make do without Dominic Vavassori (he came off in the opening few minutes of the 3-2 win in Białystok). “Therefore, managing the ball well will be vital. It’s a very important match for us. We’ve been training at Coverciano, where we’ve been able to breathe in the air of home, so we want to give everything to come away with a victory.”

Corradi also had a few words to say about Leonardo Bonucci, who has just started his role as an assistant to the Head Coach: “Beyond his technical and tactical expertise, the lads have appreciated his humility and willingness to put himself at everyone’s disposal. His greatness lies in the fact that he’s come in and not made a lot of noise despite his impressive background.” Like all debutants, Bonucci also had to sing an induction song: “He took off his shoes and climbed onto the chair. “These might seem like small things, but to reach certain levels, you have to pay attention to the details. That moment, which might seem insignificant, actually transmits the idea of following the rules.”

ELITE LEAGUE 2024-25
Monday 18 November
Portugal 1-1 Czechia

Tuesday 19 November
14:00 CET – ITALY vs. Romania
14:00 CET – Türkiye vs. Germany

Standings (number of games played in brackets): England (5) 13, Germany (4) and Portugal (5) 9, ITALY (5) 7, Romania (4) 4, Poland (4) 3, Türkiye (4) and Czechia (5) 2

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Federico Magro (Hellas Verona), Lorenzo Torriani (Milan);
Defenders: Adam Bakoune (Milan), Fabio Cristian Chiarodia (Borussia Monchengladbach), Filippo Reale (Roma), Riyad Idrissi (Modena), Raphael Kofler (Sudtirol), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Giacomo Stabile (Alcione Milano);
Midfielders: Pietro Candelari (Spezia), Aaron Ciammaglichella (Torino), Matteo Cichella (Frosinone), Luca Di Maggio (Perugia), Jonas Harder (Fiorentina), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Alberto Manzoni (Atalanta), Kevin Zeroli (Milan);
Forwards: Lorenzo Anghelè (Juventus), Ismael Konaté (Empoli), Mario Perlingieri (Benevento), Alessio Vacca (Juventus), Dominic Vavassori (Atalanta).

Staff – Head Coach: Bernardo Corradi; Assistant Coaches: Leonardo Bonucci and Mirco Gasparetto; Fitness Coach: Marco Montini; Goalkeeping Coach: Graziano Vinti; Match Analyst: Francesco Donzella; Doctors: Paolo Manetti and Andrea Redler; Physiotherapists: Giuliano Gepponi and Angelo Cartocci; Nutritionist: Andrea Carolina Striglio; Secretary: Luca Gatto

Previous matches
Romania 2-3 Germany
Czechia 1-2 ITALY
Türkiye 1-1 England
Portugal 2-1 Poland
ITALY 0-3 Germany
England 2-0 Romania
Czechia 0-0 Türkiye
ITALY 1-2 England
Czechia 0-1 Romania
Türkiye 1-2 Portugal
Germany 3-1 Poland
Portugal 1-1 ITALY
England 3-0 Czechia
Poland 4-2 Türkiye
Romania 1-1 Portugal
Poland 2-3 ITALY
England 4-0 Germany