The journey of the Under-21 National Team towards the 2025 European Championship restarts from Emilia-Romagna, and from two opponents - Latvia and Turkey - who had opened the qualifying group for Carmine Nunziata's team in September. Unlike the matches in Jurmala and Kocaeli - where Italy had earned one point against Latvia and three against Turkey -, this time there will be the crowd at the 'Dino Manuzzi' in Cesena (22 Friday) and the 'Paolo Mazza' in Ferrara (26 Tuesday) to support the Azzurrini in two crucial matches, the first ones of 2024 after a precious draw in Ireland in November against the team that sits just behind Italy in the Group A standings. Both matches will kick off at 18:15 CET, with live coverage on Rai 2.

Nunziata has called up 28 players for the two matches, with a retreat scheduled on 17 Sunday in Cesenatico: the only new addition is Luis Hasa, a midfielder born in 2004 from Juventus, the best player of the Under-19 European Championship won by Italy (1-0 in the final against Portugal, goal scored by Kayode, also included in the list for the matches in Cesena and Ferrara) and who had been called up to the Under-20 in the previous windows.

PREVIOUS MATCHES The only previous meeting between Latvia and Italy at the Under-21 level is the one from the first leg; instead, it will be the eleventh match against Turkey, with a record of seven Italian victories - including the one in Kocaeli signed by Miretti and Nasti - two draws, and one Turkish win. The Under-21 team will return to Cesena after 45 years: in February 1979, Italy led by Cesenatico's Azeglio Vicini was defeated by the Soviet Union (0-1, goal by Oleg Blokhin); in Ferrara, on the other hand, it will be the ninth match for the Azzurrini: in the previous eight, seven wins (the last one a 3-0 against Iceland in November 2019, with goals from Sottil and a brace from Cutrone) and only one defeat, in November 2018 in a friendly against England (Kean and a brace from Solanke).

The list of called-up players

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), Filippo Rinaldi (Olbia), Gioele Zacchi (Giana Erminio);

Defenders: Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), Daniele Ghilardi (Sampdoria), Michael Olabode Kayode (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (San Gallo)

Midfielders: Alessandro Bianco (Reggiana), Edoardo Bove (Roma), Cesare Casadei (Chelsea), Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Luis Hasa (Juventus), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Cher Ndour (Braga), Matteo Prati (Cagliari), Franco Tongya (Aek Larnaca), Cristian Volpato (Sassuolo);

Forwards: Giuseppe Ambrosino (Catanzaro), Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), Lorenzo Colombo (Monza), Francesco Pio Esposito (Spezia), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds), Gaetano Pio Oristanio (Cagliari).

UEFA EURO UNDER 21 2025 - GROUP A

Friday, 22 March

18:00 CET: San Marino v Ireland

18:15 CET: ITALY v Latvia (live on Rai 2)

Tuesday, 26 March

17:00 CET: Norway v San Marino

18:15 CET: ITALY v Turkey (live on Rai 2)

Standings (in brackets the matches played): ITALY (5) 11, Ireland (5) 10, Norway (5) 9, Latvia (7) 5, Turkey (5) 6, San Marino (5) 0

ITALY'S UPCOMING FIXTURES

Thursday, 5 September: Italy v San Marino

Tuesday, 10 September: Norway v Italy

Tuesday, 15 October: Italy v Ireland

 

The Program:

Sunday 17 March

- By 23:00 CET: Gathering at the Grand Hotel Da Vinci, Cesenatico (FC)

Monday 18 March

- 12:00 CET: Press conference with Nunziata (Zoom and in person, at the Grand Hotel Da Vinci)

- 15:30 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press)

Tuesday 19 March

- 11:00 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press)

- 14:00 CET: Player press conference (Zoom and in person)

Wednesday 20 March

- 13:15 CET: Player press conference (Zoom and in person)

- 15:30 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press)

Thursday 21 March

- 11:00 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)

- 14:15 CET: Press conference with Nunziata (Zoom and in person, at the Grand Hotel Da Vinci)

- To be confirmed: Walkaround at the Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena

Friday 22 March

- 18:15 CET: ITALY v Latvia (Dino Manuzzi Stadium in Cesena)

- Followed by a press conference

Saturday 23 March

- 15:30 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press)

Sunday 24 March

- 11:00 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press)

Monday 25 March

- 11:00 CET: Training session at Stadio Macrelli di San Mauro Pascoli (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)

- 14:15 CET: Press conference with Nunziata (Zoom and in person, at the Grand Hotel Da Vinci)

- To be confirmed: Walkaround at the Paolo Mazza Stadium in Ferrara

Tuesday 26 March

- 18:15 CET: ITALY v Turkey (Paolo Mazza Stadium in Ferrara)

- Followed by a press conference and dissolution of the delegation