The Under 18 national team will meet this Sunday at the Acquacetosa CPO, where they will stay for three days before leaving for Novi Sad to where their double friendly match with Serbia will take place. Their departure is scheduled for Wednesday 6 October, and both matches will be played at the Karadjordje Stadium in Novi Sad, on Thursday 7 October (15:00 CEST) and Saturday 9 October (11:00 CEST).

Ahead of the meeting, Franceschini has called up 23 players, all born in 2006, and among them, there are five new players: defenders Michael Olabode Kayode (Fiorentina), Gabriele Indragoli (Empoli) and Riccardo Stivanello (Bologna); Sassuolo midfielder Justin Kumi and Bologna forward Antonio Raimondo. For each of them, this is the first Azzurri call-up in an official match.

“It’s an important commitment against a demanding team”, the Azzurrini coach declared. “It will help to develop a group that was forced to miss a fundamental experience like last year's U17 European Championship due to the pandemic. Our goal is to create a cohesive whole, to quickly make up for lost time and to prepare the boys for next year's Under 19 commitments”.

The last match between the youth teams of these two nations dates back to September 2019: a double friendly match played in Rome which ended positively for Italy as they won 2-0 as well as recording a goalless draw.

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Davide Mastrantonio (Roma), Simone Scaglia (Juventus);

Defenders: Andrea Bozzolan (AC Milan), Gabriele Cagia (Genoa), Lorenzo Dellavalle (Juventus), Gabriele Indragoli (Empoli), Michael Olabode Kayode  (Fiorentina), Filippo Missori (Roma), Mattia Motolese (Bologna), Iacopo Regonesi (Atalanta), Riccardo Stivanello (Bologna);

Midfielders: Federico Accornero (Genoa), Giulio Doratiotto (Juventus), Justin Kumi (Sassuolo), Luis Hasa (Juventus), Cher Ndour (Benfica), Riccardo Pagano (Roma), Andrea Palella (Genoa), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma);

Forwards: Tommaso Mancini (Vicenza), Antonio Raimondo (Bologna), Leonardo Rossi (AC Milan), Samuele Vignato (Monza).

Staff: Head Coach, Daniele Franceschini; Secretary, Luca Gatto; Assistant Coach, Matteo Barella; Goalkeeping Coach, Fabrizio Capodici; Athletic Trainer, Nicolò Varesco; Match Analyst, Andrea Zappavigna; Medics: Paolo Manetti and Sebastiano Porcino; Physiotherapist: Angelo Cartocci.