Having landed in Hamburg yesterday and reached Bremen by bus in the same evening, the National Under-19s are preparing to face hosts Germany tomorrow (22 March) in the opener of this second qualifying phase of the European Championships. Placed in group 2 together with Germany, Slovenia and Belgium, the Azzurrini will have to fight to claim first place in the group, the only chance to gain access to the final phase of the continental competition scheduled to take place in Malta from 3 to 16 July.

This morning, for the Azzurri team, a final training session and tomorrow (22nd March) at 12:00 CET, the first match against the German side at the Weser Stadion in Bremen (the match will be streamed live on figc.it), a match that promises to be tough due to the technical qualities of the opponent: "We will have to have the spirit of the Azzurri shirt, which means compactness and great aggression off the ball. Basically we'll have to be perfect because we're playing against a very strong team and we, being in the great group that we are, will have to believe in ourselves, paying attention to the smallest details". Bollini will have to do without Lorenzo Della Valle, Juventus' defender, because of suspension and also, in all probability, the newcomer to this group, Luca Warrick Daeovie Koleosho, Espanyol's striker, as he is under treatment for a slight injury that the Azzurri's medical staff are trying to heal in time for the next matches.

Germany normally line up in a 4-2-3-1, with some players having already made their Bundesliga debut, including Umut Tohumcu, a centre-half, and Muhammed Damar, a high-quality trequartista, both from Hoffenheim; Tom Rothe, a defender from Dortmund (all three already played in the elite Under-19 round last year).

Fabio Christian Chiarodia confirms the difficulties of tomorrow's match as he knows many of the players in the opposing team having played against them in the German league or for his own team, Werder Bremen. Fabio also made his Bundesliga debut in the last league game against Borussia Mönchengladbach, which was drawn 2-2, and was on the pitch from the start: "It was a great feeling - declares the Azzurro centre-back -, my whole family was there at the stadium and they will be in the stands tomorrow to see me play for Italy. It will be a difficult match, I know many of the players I will be up against tomorrow, several of them train with the first teams. They are a strong team, especially in attack, but so are we, both in defence and forwards: it will be a good match that we will have to play with lots of concentration, without allowing ourselves to lose focus, from the first to the last minute of the game."

The other group game kicks off at 16:00 between Slovenia and Belgium, at the BSA Obervieland stadium in Bremen.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Davide Mastrantonio (Triestina), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone);

Defenders: Fabio Christian Chiarodia (Werder Bremen), Lorenzo Dellavalle (Juventus), Michael Olabode Ayode (Fiorentina), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Filippo Missori (Roma), Iacopo Regonesi (Atalanta), Riccardo Stivanello (Bologna);

Midfielders: Lorenzo Amatucci (Fiorentina), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Justin Kumi (Sassuolo), Luca Lipani (Genoa), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma);

Attackers: Luca D’andrea (Sassuolo), Francesco Esposito (Inter), Luis Hasa (Juventus), Luca Warrick Daeovie Koleosho (Espanyol), Antonio Raimondo (Bologna), Samuele Vignato (Monza).