Three months after their elimination at the hands of Portugal in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, the Under 21 national team turns the page and opens up a new chapter in their history. The new two-year period will start tomorrow afternoon with the debut of a very young team against Luxembourg, in the first qualifying match for Euro 2023, scheduled to be played at Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli at 17.30 CEST.

The new Under 21 national team restarts with two distinct groups, one with the ‘veterans’ and the other made up of young players on their first call-up. “Everything needs rebuilding, and for this it will take patience”, explained coach Paolo Nicolato in today’s press conference. “The group is young, many of these guys don't have a lot of experience and so they’d need a little more time. We have been focusing on a few things over these last few days, we haven’t included too many concepts during this phase as there are a lot of new faces. We will use the matches to further our knowledge”.

The head coach is very curious to see this team in action for the first time after having been working together for just two days: “From a tactical point of view - added Nicolato - we completed two training sessions with two proven playing systems. Today we’ll decide which to choose. We’ll go out on the pitch with curiosity, I can guarantee their commitment and that the boys will try to do things well. I expect some difficulties in these first three months. The problem of giving a chance to our young players is real, we have the task of bringing in players who have more experience, but we lack the pool from which to choose from and therefore we are often forced to lend players among national teams, and this is not a healthy sign for our youth football”.

On tomorrow's match, Nicolato commented: “Luxembourg have already played two games and have lost both, but there are three points up for grabs and we shouldn't underestimate any opponent”. Qualifying for the European Championship will continue next Tuesday with the match against Montenegro at Stadio Romeo Menti in Vicenza.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Alessandro Plizzari (Milan), Alessandro Russo (Alessandria);

Defenders: Raoul Bellanova (Girondins de Bordeaux), Riccardo Calafiori (Roma), Andrea Cambiaso (Genoa), Andrea Carboni (Cagliari), Gabriele Ferrarini (Perugia), Antonino Gallo (Lecce), Matteo Lovato (Atalanta), Andrea Papetti (Brescia), Lorenzo Pirola (Monza), Iyenoma Destiny Udogie (Udinese);

Midfielders: Marco Brescianini (Monza), Jacopo Da Riva (Spal), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Filippo Ranocchia (Juventus), Samuele Ricci (Empoli), Nicolò Rovella (Genoa), Sandro Tonali (Milan);

Forwards: Matteo Cancellieri (Hellas Verona), Lorenzo Colombo (Spal), Roberto Piccoli (Atalanta), Eddie Salcedo (Inter), Kelvin Yeboah (Sportklub Sturm Graz).

Schedule (all times CEST)

Thursday 2 September

10.30 - Training (closed)

13.45 - Coach Nicolato press conference (Rai in attendance, followed by a Zoom for the press)

19.00 – Visit to Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli

Friday 3 September

10.00 - Coach Nicolato interview exclusive to RAI TV

10.30 - Training (closed)

17.30 – ITALY vs. LUXEMBOURG - Stadio Carlo Castellani, Empoli. Press conference post-game and return to Tirrenia

Saturday 4 September

10.30 - Training (closed)

17.00 – Transfer to Vicenza Tiepolo Hotel

Sunday 5 September

15.30 - Coach Nicolato interview with RAI TV

17.30 - Training (closed)

Monday 6 September

10.30 - Training (closed)

13.45 - Coach Nicolato press conference (RAI in attendance, followed by a Zoom for the press)

19.00 - Visit to Stadio Romeo Menti in Monza

Tuesday 7 September

10.00 - Coach Nicolato interview exclusive to RAI TV

17.30 ITALY vs. MONTENEGRO - Stadio Romeo Menti, Vicenza. Press conference post-game and return of players to their respective clubs