Following draws against Poland and the Netherlands, Italy will be aiming to return to winning ways against Estonia at 20:45 CET tomorrow. It’s a match that could prove useful as far as the FIFA ranking is concerned: the Azzurri know that the top ten European national teams will be seeded for the World Cup qualifying draw on 7 December, and they don’t want to lose ground. A victory would also give the team a confidence boost ahead of their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Roberto Mancini’s assistant Alberico Evani will take charge of the Azzurri for the game against the Estonians, with the Italy Head Coach currently self-isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19. The current pandemic is proving to be a big obstacle for the team in terms of their preparations: various players have been prevented from joining up with the group by the restrictions imposed by local health authorities.

After working on their own yesterday, Bastoni and Zaccagni have joined up with the group, while Romagnoli continues to undergo treatment after sustaining an injury prior to Milan vs. Verona. In the evening, ten further players will arrive: Ferrari, Berardi and Locatelli will join Donnarumma, Meret, Bonucci, Florenzi, Jorginho, Insigne and Kean after midnight. The arrival times of Acerbi, Chiesa and Barella are still to be confirmed. Castrovilli and Biraghi still haven’t received permission from their local health authority. There won’t be any Roma players involved due to a number of Giallorossi players testing positive for the virus in recent days. Delegation Head Gianluca Vialli met up with the team today, while Team Manager Gabriele Oriali will arrive tomorrow.

“It’s a complicated time, but the group’s spirit is keeping us calm,” said Evani during today’s pre-match press conference. “The current difficulties could help us to grow. This friendly against Estonia is important in terms of our FIFA ranking and will provide an opportunity for those who have played less. Above all, we don’t expect to disappoint Mancini and our fans. It’ll be hugely exciting to take charge of the National Team, it’s something that I never thought would happen. However, I would have preferred it not to happen and for Roberto to be here: we want him to be in good health, and all the staff and team need him. Nevertheless, it’s like he’s with us, he’s getting involved in our training sessions and meetings in real time from afar. I think I can ensure that his absence is felt as little as possible.”

Currently 109th in the FIFA Ranking, Estonia aren’t the strongest of opponents and have lost all six of their previous meetings with Italy, scoring just twice and conceding 16. However, especially during this period, opposition sides shouldn’t be underestimated: “Games are never won on paper. Matches like this are tricky because you’ve got everything to lose when you’re the favourites. This game will provide an opportunity to our young players and newcomers. We have many interesting prospects, it’ll be a joy to work with those who are with us over the next ten days. We hope they’ll be able to learn the movements required quickly, but I’m sure they’ll do all that they can because it’s a great opportunity for them.”

Joining Evani in speaking to the press today was Salvatore Sirigu: “The opportunity to wear the Azzurri shirt is a source of pride for everyone, and this is what makes the matches important. Wearing the captain’s armband tomorrow would obviously bring me great joy.” As regards the COVID-19 pandemic, the Torino goalkeeper had the following to say: “It’s a delicate time and you can understand the concerns of clubs and their directors, but the protocols in place here are the same as they are at club level and perhaps even stricter. We’re checked, travel in maximum safety and always wear masks. It’s possible to get infected on international duty, but this can happen with our clubs too. And while there may be all this uncertainty, the importance of the National Team is undisputed, including for the players.”

Tomorrow’s match will be refereed by Rade Obrenovic (Slo).

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio)*, Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina)**, Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Davide Calabria (Milan), Danilo D’Ambrosio (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri Dos Santos (Chelsea), Gian Marco Ferrari (Sassuolo), Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint-Germain), Luca Pellegrini (Genoa), Alessio Romagnoli (Milan);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter)*, Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina)**, Roberto Gagliardini (Inter), Frello Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Roberto Soriano (Bologna), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Mattia Zaccagni (Verona);
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus)*, Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenua), Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg), Ciro Immobile (Lazio)**, Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Bioty Kean (Paris Saint Germain), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Pietro Pellegri (Monaco).

* time of arrival TBC
** will only join up with the squad after receiving permission from the relevant health authorities

 

Schedule (all times CET)

Tuesday 10 November
14:30 – Press conference (Head Coach and a player) at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence
17:45 – Estonia press conference (Head Coach and player) at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence
18:15 – Italy training session at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano
18:30 –Estonia training session (media access for the first 15 minutes) at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence

Wednesday 11 November
20:45 – ITALY vs. Estonia (media duties after the match)

Thursday 12 November
15:30 – Training (behind closed doors) at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano

Friday 13 November
13:45 – Press event (players) in the auditorium of the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano

16:00 – Training (behind closed doors) at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano

Saturday 14 November
11:30 – Journey from Florence to Reggio Emilia
16:30 – Poland press conference at the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia
17:00 – Poland training session (media access for the first 15 minutes) at the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia
18:00 – Italy press conference at the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia
18:30 – Italy training session (media access for the first 15 minutes) at the Stadio Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia

Sunday 15 November
20:45 – ITALY vs. Poland (post-match press event and subsequent return to the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano

Monday 16 November
16:30 – Training session (behind closed doors) at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano

Tuesday 17 November
10:45 – Journey from Florence to Sarajevo
16:30 – Bosnia & Herzegovina press conference at the Grbavica Stadium in Sarajevo
17:00 –Bosnia & Herzegovina training session (media access for the first 15 minutes) at the Grbavica Stadium in Sarajevo
17:30 – Italy press conference at the Grbavica Stadium in Sarajevo
18:00 – Italy training session (media access for the first 15 minutes) at the Grbavica Stadium in Sarajevo

Wednesday 18 November
20:45 – Bosnia & Herzegovina vs. ITALY post-match press event and subsequent return to Italy