With the Italian Under-21 National Team continuing to prepare for the European Championship, a surprise was in store for the players as the Roberto Mancini, Head Coach of the National Team, paid them a visit this morning. Mancini arrived in Formello and, after spending some time with Luigi Di Biagio, greeted the squad and wished them all the best ahead of the upcoming tournament.

The news regarding Vittorio Parigini wasn’t so good: the Torino forward has been forced to leave the training camp after failing to fully recover from the injury he picked up while with his club. The Azzurrini completed a double session today, and they’ll train every day until Monday. By midnight on Thursday 6 June, the Under-21 Head Coach will confirm Italy’s 23-man squad for the tournament. The Azzurrini players will remain in Formello until Saturday 8 June before getting back together on Monday 10 June in Bologna, where the Under-21 National Team will be based for the entirety of the European Championship. They will then complete their preparations at Bologna’s Niccolò Galli Training Centre in Casteldebole.

Italy have been placed in Group A and will play Spain on Sunday 16 June at Bologna’s Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in their opening match. Their remaining two group games are against Poland (Wednesday 19 June at 21:00 CEST in Bologna) and Belgium (Saturday 22 June at 21:00 CEST in Reggio Emilia).

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Emil Audero (Sampdoria), Alex Meret (Napoli), Lorenzo Montipò (Benevento);
Defenders: Claud Adjapong (Sassuolo), Alessandro Bastoni (Parma), Kevin Bonifazi (Spal), Arturo Calabresi (Bologna), Davide Calabria (Milan), Fabio De Paoli (Chievo Verona), Federico Dimarco (Parma), Sebastiano Luperto (Napoli), Giuseppe Pezzella (Genoa), Filippo Romagna (Cagliari);
Midfielders: Francesco Cassata (Frosinone), Gaetano Castrovilli (Cremonese), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Rolando Mandragora (Udinese), Alessandro Murgia (Spal), Sandro Tonali (Brescia), Luca Valzania (Frosinone);
Forwards: Federico Bonazzoli (Padova), Patrick Cutrone (Milan), Simone Edera (Bologna), Gabriele Moncini (Cittadella), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Vittorio Parigini (Torino).

Staff – Delegation Head: Massimo Ambrosini; Team Manager: Vincenzo Marinelli; National Teams Co-ordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Luigi Di Biagio; Secretary: Mauro Vladovich; Assistant Coaches: Massimo Mutarelli, Carmine Nunziata; Fitness Coach: Vito Azzone; Goalkeeper Coach: Antonio Chimenti; Match analyst: Filippo Lorenzon; Doctors: Angelo De Carli and Luca Gatteschi; Nutritionist: Cristian Petri; Physiotherapists: Enzo Paolini, Alfonso Casano, Emiliano Bozzetti. National teams department: Manfredi Martino.

Schedule

Wednesday 29 May
Gather by 12:30 at C.S. Formello - Rome
13:30 Press conference with the Coach
16:30 Training (open to the media)

Thursday 30 May
10:30 Training (closed)
17:00 Training (closed)

Friday 31 May
10:30 Training (first 15 minutes open to the press)
13:30 Press conference with a player

Saturday 1 June
13:30 Press conference with a player
17:00 Training (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Sunday 2 June
17:00 Training (closed)

Monday 3 June
13:30 Press conference with a player
17:00 Training (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Tuesday 4 June
10:30 Training (closed)
17:00 Training (closed)

Wednesday 5 June
10:30 Training (closed)
13:30 Press conference with a player

Thursday 6 June
(Squad of 23 to be confirmed by 24:00)
10:30 Training/ Friendly (open to accredited media)

Friday 7 June
16:00 Press conference with the Coach
17:00 Training (first 15 minutes open to the press)

Saturday 8 June
10:30 Training (closed)
13:00 Lunch
Training camp to end and players return home

Media information

For the preliminary camp in Formello, media accreditation will be granted to Odg/AIPS card holders.
For the camp at Casteldebole from 10 June, media activities can be accessed by going through the UEFA Accreditations process.