After a strong start, it would be a shame to lose momentum. From the height of first spot in the group, as a result of the six points gained in the first two away wins in Paris and Budapest against World Cup runners-up France and Israel, tomorrow evening we face Belgium (20:45 CEST, live on Rai 1 - referee is the Norwegian Eskas), the Azzurri will be on the hunt for their third consecutive win in the Nations League. Another win will bring qualification for the quarter finals even closer, allowing for Italy to be seed in the next World-Cup qualifying draw. 

"It would be right to call this match a turning point - the words of Luciano Spalletti in the interview given on Vivo Azzurro TV - because winning would mean a lot to us. It would allow us to consolidate the things we have seen until this moment, and to do everything a bit more peacefully". 

This time the Azzurri - who took part in a final training session this morning at Coverciano - will have home support on their side, with the Stadio Olimpico in Rome ready to host the big evening (so far 35,000 tickets have been sold, and in the stands there will be 3,000 children from local football teams in Lazio who have been invited by the Youth and School sector of the FIGC). In the first three days of the camp, the Head Coach has praised the side's attitude and how it hasn't changed from a month ago: "I have seen the same things again, even more so with the four new youngsters that I called up: that have shown great willingness, energy and desire to show their readiness.". 

The average age of the group continues to decrease, from 24 years and 9 months in September to 24 years and 5 months. At the Euro's, in the match against Switzerland, it was 28 years: "I see these young guys as ready to make the jump to this level - the Head Coach explained to the platform OTT of the FIGC - during the training sessions, they show this time after time". 

Against Domenico Tedesco's Belgium, stars like De Bruyne and Lukaku will be missing, but we will need to beware of the flanks and the pace of the young talents, from the Atalanta player De Ketelaere to Jeremy Doku: "They're missing a few big players, but they have other strong players as part of their future planning. They are quick and deadly in open play, on the wings they have great players who can dribble well, they're some of the best dribblers in Europe. They have quality in all departments, their players play in some of the best teams in Europe and they're sixth in the FIFA world rankings, while we are tenth". 

CALAFIORI RETURNS HOME. In his city and in the stadium, which until a few years ago, was his home one, Riccardo Calafiori is about to experience another chapter of his young story in the National side. "I am really happy to play at the Olimpico - he confirmed to Vivo Azzurro TV - I've been waiting a long time for this moment. It will definitely be an extra motivation and source of pride because I will play in front of my friends and family" 

After a Euro's where he was the main man, a big transfer to Arsenal came in the summer. In England, people have started to pick up on his talent" "In the last three months my career and life changed a bit, without warning. I feel as if I have more responsibility, but I like this because it means that I'm doing well and everyone expects a lot from me". Tomorrow, he will face his new teammate, Leandro Trossard" "I told him to be ware. Jokes aside, he's a top player and a great friend, but I'm going to try and bring the three points home. It'll be a difficult game, they have good players just like us. I always like to think about us, if we do the things we know we can, we can make life difficult for anyone. We did really well in the last two games and we can't stop now". 

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Michele Di Gregorio (Juventus), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);
Midfielders: Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
Forwards: Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta).