Passing two Scandinavian tests to climb the Group 4 table and continue growing ahead of the European Championship, which kicks off in three months. After starting 2025 with a victory over Wales and a defeat to Denmark, Italy Women returned to work at Coverciano today to begin their preparations for their upcoming Nations League matches against group-leaders Sweden in Solna (19:00 CEST on Friday 4 April) and Denmark in Herning (18:00 CEST on Tuesday 8 April). The Azzurre currently sit behind the Swedes (four points) and the Danes (three points), the latter of whom hold an advantage over Soncin’s side thanks to their win in Italy on 25 February.

“The group is fired up, determined and aware of the importance of the moment. We have some decisive matches coming up, and the girls’ approach has been extremely positive,” said Andrea Soncin in his press conference to open the latest training camp. “This morning, we addressed an important topic, focusing on the team and the aspects that could elevate us. This is a responsibility that concerns all of us because it’s about the concepts and values that can make a difference on the pitch, even more so than technical and tactical aspects.”

Italy are focused on the present rather than thinking about what will happen in Switzerland in July: “We’ve got some very important games in the Nations League,” added the Head Coach. “Euro 2025 may seem close, but that’s not the case. We must only concentrate on our next matches, starting with the Sweden game. We’ll head there with the aim of producing a big performance and picking up a good result.” In Solna, the Azzurre are hoping for their very first win away to the Swedes – something they narrowly missed out on a year and a half ago in Malmö – and to bounce back following their loss to Denmark: “In order to achieve these things, we need to maximise our strengths and limit our opponents’ qualities. In our last fixture, we failed to adapt to what the pitch and circumstances required of us. We were disappointed after that game, but that comes from knowing how strong we are as a group. We know we can compete with anybody.”

To finish, Soncin, who has called up Marta Pandini to replace Giulia Dragoni (who has left the camp due to lower back pain), spoke about Cecilia Salvai, who has returned to the Azzurre setup after a long-term thigh injury. “In agreement with Juventus, we decided to call her up early to give her the opportunity to train with the National Team and ease her towards a return to the pitch. It’s a process we are undertaking together, and we are happy to have her back.”

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Rachele Baldi (Inter), Camilla Forcinella (Genoa), Laura Giuliani (Milan), Margot Shore (Bologna);
Defenders: Valentina Bergamaschi (Juventus), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Lucia Di Guglielmo (Roma), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Fiorentina), Martina Lenzini (Juventus), Elena Linari (Roma), Elisabetta Oliviero (Lazio), Julie Piga (Milan), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (Milan);
Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Bayern Monaco), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Eleonora Goldoni (Lazio), Marta Pandini (Roma), Eva Schatzer (Juventus), Annamaria Serturini (Inter), Emma Severini (Fiorentina), Flaminia Simonetti (Lazio);
Forwards: Chiara Beccari (Juventus), Agnese Bonfantini (Fiorentina), Michela Cambiaghi (Inter), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Martina Piemonte (Lazio).

CALENDAR, RESULTS AND TABLE GROUP 4 (League A)

Matchday 1: ITALY 1-0 Wales, Denmark 1-2 Sweden

Matchday 2: ITALY 1-3 Denmark, Wales 1-1 Sweden

Table: Sweden 4 points, Denmark and Italy 3, Wales 1

Matchday 3 (4 April): Sweden vs. ITALY (19:00 CEST, Solna), Wales vs. Denmark
Matchday 4 (8 April): Denmark vs. ITALY (18 CEST, Herning), Sweden vs. Wales
Matchday 5 (30 May): ITALY vs. Sweden, Denmark vs. Wales
Matchday 6 (3 June): Wales vs. ITALY, Sweden vs. Denmark