The Under-19 National Team are ready for the elite round of European qualifying. The team and staff are set to meet up at Novarello on Sunday evening ahead of their departure for Helsinki on Monday morning. Head Coach Carmine Nunziata has named a 20-man squad for the upcoming fixtures: all the players were born in 2003 except for one: Giacomo Faticanti (Roma, born in 2004). Italy were placed in Group 5 with Germany, Belgium and hosts Finland after progressing to this stage with three wins from three in the qualifying round (2-0 against Lithuania, 3-0 against Iceland and 3-1 against Slovenia).

In this latest qualifying phase, only the group winners will progress to the finals in Slovakia, which are taking place between 18 June and 1 July and will see eight teams involved. The top five sides will take part in the FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia next year.

The previous edition of the European Under-19 Championship took place in 2019, when Italy were unable to progress past the group stage in the finals in Armenia, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Spain in their final game after an intense and hard-fought match. After replacing Federico Guidi, Carmine Nunziata was in charge of the team back then, and, with the last two U19 Euros having been cancelled due to the pandemic, the Head Coach is hoping to be involved in the final tournament again soon. First, however, the Azzurrini will have to progress from a very tough group: “Everyone recognises the technical ability of the teams we’ll be up against,” said Nunziata. “Germany and Belgium have top-class youth systems, even if things didn’t always go to plan for them to reach this stage, especially in Germany’s case. Finland could deliver a few surprises and will be supported by a home crowd that usually follows its youth teams passionately. The first match is always a real battle, and there’s a long-standing competitive rivalry between Italy and Germany.”

The Head Coach is, however, full of confidence: “We have a good squad and confidently made it through the qualifying round. We’re enthusiastic and fired up. We respect our opponents, but they know they’ll be up against a group with a strong footballing tradition behind it. In Finland, we’ll play on an equal footing.”

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Milan), Gioele Zacchi (Sassuolo);

Defenders: Alessandro Fontanarosa (Inter), Diego Coppola (Hellas  Verona), Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), Gabriele Mulazzi (Juventus), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (Inter);

Midfielders: Cesare Casadei (Inter), Giovanni Fabbian (Inter), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Samuele Giovane  (Atalanta), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Filippo Terracciano (Hellas Verona);

Forwards: Giuseppe Ambrosino Di Bruttopilo (Napoli), Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Wilfred Gnonto (FC Zürich), Marco Nasti (Milan).

Staff: Delegation Head, Gianfranco Serioli; Head Coach, Carmine Nunziata; Assistant Coach, Emanuele Filippini; Fitness Coach, Vito Azzone; Goalkeeping Coach, Fabrizio Ferron; Match Analyst, Marco Mannucci; Doctors, Carmelo Papotto and Lorenzo Ticca; Physiotherapists, Giuseppe Galli and Fabrizio Casati; Nutritionist, Alessio Colli; Observer, Claudio Coppi; Press Office, Giuseppe Ingrati; Secretary, Aldo Blessich; Kitman, Giovanni Pompeano; Tutor, Stefano Presciutti. 

Group 5, elite round: Italy, Germany, Belgium and Finland

Schedule (all times local time)

Wednesday 23 March

Italy vs. Germany, Myyrmäki Stadium (Vantaa), 11:30

Finland vs. Belgium, Myyrmäki Stadium (Vantaa), 17:30

Saturday 26 March

Belgium vs. Germany, Myyrmäki Stadium (Vantaa), 11:30

Finland vs. Italy, Myyrmäki Stadium (Vantaa), 17:30

Tuesday 29 March

Germany vs. Finland, Helsinki Football Stadium (Helsinki), 17:30

Belgium vs. Italy, Myyrmäki Stadium (Vantaa), 17:30