From one great classic to another. Three days after their match against the Germans, Roberto Mancini's national team are back in action as they face another historic rival. Tomorrow at the 'Dino Manuzzi' stadium in Cesena (at 20:45 CEST, live on Rai 1) is the Italian’s second match of the UEFA Nations League. The Azzurri will take on Hungary, adding to the long-lasting history between the sides (34 past encounters, with Italy winning 16 times, drawing 9 and losing 9), as in 1938, they were beaten by Vittorio Pozzo's national team in the final of the French World Cup.

They were among the strongest national teams in the first half of the twentieth century (the 1-7 defeat against the Magyars in 1924 remains Italy’s worst defeat of all time). Hungary have often found themselves on the periphery of world football, but in the last four years under the guidance of the Italian, Marco Rossi, they have regained prestige and climbed up to 40th place in the FIFA Rankings. At the most recent European Championships, they were drawn into an unbelievably tricky group with Portugal, France and Germany, but managed to finish level with the French and the Germans, as they qualified in quite sensational fashion for the Round of 16. On Saturday in Budapest, the delight of beating the European runners-up in England was released courtesy of the penalty scored by the team’s most talented player, 21-year-old Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

“This won’t be an easy game”, warned Mancini at his pre-match press conference, “there are no easy games anymore. Hungary were worthy winners against England, and also drew with France and Germany at the last European Championships: they are a tricky team, will several tall, strong focal points and are a solid attacking side." Mancini was Marco Rossi’s teammate in the early nineties: “I think I played with him at Sampdoria. He’s a good lad and a very good coach. It's thanks to him that Hungary progressed the way that they have, so they’re doing an extraordinary job”, declares Mancini with a smile.

The coach had announced that a new cycle for the national team would begin with the game against Germany and confirmed this by changing the formation and handing debuts to six young players (44 rookies have now been introduced under his managerial regime). His Italy side showed freshness and character, as Mancini was happy with the output, as the new players immediately seemed at ease. Wilfried Gnonto, in particular, shone: “He’s 18 so we mustn’t heap too much pressure on the lad, he has to grow into the role in his own time. For his age, he knows what he’s doing and shows great athleticism. He works well as a second striker but can also play on the wings".

Also tomorrow, it’ll be a very different team with several fresh faces compared to the one seen in Bologna, as the possibility of further debuts looms: “It is not a problem using inexperienced players and throwing them straight into a difficult set of matches. I will freshen up the squad seeing as we’re in June and played only three days ago." Donnarumma will try to grit his teeth and take the field, despite dislocating a finger in the team’s previous outing against Germany: “We will look at it tomorrow morning, and hope that he’s fit to play." The coach also focuses heavily on Scamacca, who’s still looking for his first goal in the national team despite playing well against Germany: "He is fast, powerful and technical. However, he is fresh off the back of his first season as a starter in Serie A, so it’ll take some time, but he can become a super striker for us".

Mancini is joined by Nicolò Barella in the press room. One of the star players during Italy’s success at the European Championships, but also on the field in Palermo, on the evening Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar: "We dominated all the matches in our group, but we just didn’t shoot enough. Against Macedonia, we ought to have scored three or four without reply. I don’t know how to explain it. We will everything in our power to ensure we’re at the next World Cup”.

At 25, he has already made 37 appearances for the Azzurri and he knows he can lead the young players by example in the changing room, especially to those entering Coverciano for the first time: "The new lads have given us a lot of energy, which perhaps we needed. We hope that it can be the first of many for those who featured. There are lots of lads like Locatelli, Frattesi or Esposito, who are the present and future of the national team, not just me and Tonali. Now that I am among the most experienced, I try to convey the values that the coach has transmitted to us over recent years. "The Azzurri bond was and remains very strong:" Wearing this shirt is an honour, never a burden. When you pull on this shirt, everything else comes secondary, and you must push through the fatigue and play".

For the programme click here
For the press release click here