In Denmark, Italy have a vital game at the MCH Arena in Herning in terms of their Nations League hopes. Andrea Soncin and Sofia Contore spoke to Vivo Azzurro TV ahead of the reverse fixture against the Scandinavian side tomorrow evening.

Two straight defeats – in the reverse fixture against Denmark and last Friday against Sweden in Stockholm – have not dampened the team’s spirits. They came away from the Solna Arena with the feeling that they came so close to beating one of the best teams in the world. The desire to get back out there has been evident and the Azzurre are hoping to win, get closer to Denmark in the standings and then compete to keep their place in League A in the last two group games. Both the standings and head-to-head, which decides the outcome should the two sides finish level on points, are against Italy after the 3-1 loss in La Spezia.

 “I’m proud of what the girls did three days ago,” head coach Andrea Soncin said. “Against Denmark, we need to manage the game in our way. We made a lot of technical errors in the reverse fixture. Tomorrow, we need to be calmer and have more quality in the build-up. We will play with confidence and energy.” The six goals conceded in their last two outings do not concern Soncin, who is working out the finer details so as not to afford Andrée Jeglertz’s side too much tomorrow evening. “We’re making our assessment so that we can play our game as best we can,” he concluded. “We’ll need to read the key moments of the game and show our group spirit, which can never go missing when you play for Italy.”

Sofia Cantore also got straight to the point, stating that “we want to win at all costs. We’ll play with the right amount of heart and soul, so I think we’ll put in a great performance. It all depends on us.” Against Sweden, her 33rd cap, she came off the bench in the second half and set up Cambiaghi to make it 2-2. With absences in defence, she is now ready to contribute from the start. “The dressing room is united. There’s no jealousy. Whoever plays will have everyone's support. This season has given me a lot of confidence, which I have been able to bring into the Italy camp. Now, I want to find some consistent form, and I hope I can do so by providing goals and assists.”

‘RACE FOR THE CURE’: FIGC AND AZZURRE SUPPORT KOMEN. From Thursday, 8 May to Sunday, 11 May at the Circus Maximus in Rome, ‘Race for the Cure,’ the largest event to fight breast cancer in Italy and around the world, returns. Once again this year, the FIGC and Italy Women are supporting Komen Italia's flagship event. The Federation, on 28 May, will also support a leg of the ‘Jubilee Caravan,’ the women's health project that unites institutions, hospitals and volunteers. We will be present every day with a dedicated stand with the 1982 and 2006 World Cups on display, as well as the Euro 2020 trophy in the presence of the two official mascots, Azzurra and Oscar.