From 4 to 10 October, the Under-19 National Team will find meet at the Centro Sportivo ´Novarello´ for the first training camp of the season. Carmine Nunziata’s main objective for the Azzurini is to conquer Europe. It represents a step-up of two age-groups for the coach, who spent three years managing the under-17s, leading them to two European finals. Two second place finishes came via defeats to the Netherlands and then another to Brazil at the end of the year in the World Cup, as they went out in the round of 16 to the hosts and eventual winners.

26 players - born between 2002 and 2003 - were called up for this squad, which acts as the start of a journey that will begin in March of next year with the first phase of European qualification for the competitive season of 2020/21. This path was restructured by UEFA from an organizational perspective in order to combat the COVID pandemic, with an elimination-based tournament consisting of 13 mini tournaments - skipping the first rounds - with a second series of play-offs, eliminating, in effect, the elite phases. The seven winning team will qualify in July of the following year, to the final phase in Romania, with their right to qualify secured by their status as the host nation.

“It is important to restart and there is a strong desire to return to the field,” Nunziata said, “in order to form a group that will have to negotiate and face important challenges. We’ve practically been stuck since February and this group gives us the chance to see new players and experiment with our tactical abilities”.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Denis Franchi (Paris Saint Germain), Manuel Gasparini (Udinese), Filippo Rinaldi (Parma);

Defenders: Tommaso Barbieri (Juventus), Francesco Lamanna (Novara), Lorenzo Moretti (Inter), Gabriele Mulazzi (Juventus), Andrea Papetti (Brescia), Alessandro Pio Riccio (Juventus), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Viti (Empoli);

Midfielders: Vittorio Alberto Agostinelli (Fiorentina), Alessandro Bianco (Fiorentina), Riccardo Boscolo Chio (Inter), Michael Brentan (Sampdoria), Andrea Capone (AC Milan), Luciano Pisapia (Juventus), Nikola Sekulov (Juventus), Niccolò Squizzato (Inter), Federico Zanchetta (SPAL);

Attackers: Nicholas Bonfanti (Inter), Francesco Ezequiel Carboni (Inter), Cosimo Marco Da Graca (Juventus), Wilfried Degnand Gnonto (Fussballclub Zurich), Mattia Pagliuca (Bologna).

Staff: Coach, Carmine Nunziata; Secretary, Luca Gatto; Assistant coaches, Emanuele Filippini and Massimiliano Favo; Goalkeeping coach, Fabrizio Ferron; Fitness coach, Marco Montini; Match Analyst, Marco Mannucci; Doctors, Carmelo Papotto and Fabrizio Iorio; Nutritionist, Maria Luisa Cravana; Physiotherapist, Tommaso Cannata.