After the Under 19s won their opening game of the season against Albania at Coverciano recently, the new Under 17s, led by Massimiliano Favo, are also ready to start their year. The Azzurrini will face Slovenia twice in friendlies on Tuesday 22 August in Gradisca d’Isonzo (18:00 CEST) and Thursday 24 in Ajdovščina (10:30 CEST). Favo, who last year coached the Under 15s and who will lead the set of lads in the first phase of Euro qualifying (to be played in Italy) at the end of October in a group consisting of San Marino, Northern Ireland and Greece, has called up 23 players, who are all from the class of 2007 except one, AC Milan's Francesco Camarda, born in 2008. The group will meet up on Saturday 19 August in Gradisca d'Isonzo and start training that afternoon in Aquileia. 

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Massimo Pessina (Bologna), Tommaso Vannucchi (Fiorentina);
Defenders: Mattia Cappelletti (AC Milan), Matteo Cocchi (Inter), Federico Colombo (AC Milan), Christian Garofalo (Napoli), Manuel Maffessoli (Atalanta), Gianluca Maggiore (Atalanta), Francesco Verde (Juventus), Giorgio Vezzosi (Sassuolo);
Midfielders: Giacomo Arduini (Roma), Davide Atzeni (Fiorentina), Alessandro Di Nunzio (Roma), Niccolò Gariani (Atalanta), Mattia Liberali (AC Milan), Matias Mancuso (Inter), Andrea Orlandi (Empoli), Ernesto Perin (AC Milan);
Forwards: Francesco Camarda (AC Milan), Francesco Castaldo (Bologna), Stefano Maiorana (Fiorentina); Mattia Mosconi (Inter), Elia Plicco (Parma)

Staff – National Youth Sector coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Massimiliano Favo; Assistant Head Coach: Matteo Barella; Fitness Coach: Adalberto Zamuner; Goalkeeping Coach: Davide Quironi; Match Analyst: Andrea Loiacono; Doctors: Sofia Calaciura Clarich, Alessio Rossato; Physiotherapists: Enrico Matera; Nutritionist: Claudio Pecorella; Secretary: Massimo Petracchini