The Azzurre continue to put in the hard work in Lagos ahead of their second Algarve Cup fixture. At 13:00 CET tomorrow, Milena Bertolini’s girls will take on Norway with the aim of reaching the final of the tournament for the second consecutive time.

Denmark’s withdrawal from the competition due to three positive COVID-19 tests has made things a bit more difficult for Italy, who, despite an excellent victory in their opening match, now trail Sweden in the standings, with the Swedes having been awarded a 3-0 win over the Danes. Portugal are also ahead of the Azzurre on goal difference.

To be certain of qualifying for the final at the Estádio Municipal de Lagos on Wednesday, Italy will need to beat a Norway side that unexpectedly lost 2-0 to the hosts last time out. In the event of a draw, the Azzurre will need to wait to see how Portugal vs. Sweden finishes (kick-off at 18:15 CET), while a defeat would see Bertolini’s side involved in the third place playoff.

No calculations will be made, with Milena Bertolini’s side fully focused on the path they’re going down. The team will be looking to build on their display against Denmark, during which they remained focused and displayed quality and plenty of character. “The girls have done very well so far and have shown that they’re in good shape,” the Head Coach said. “Against Norway, I expect to see the same attitude; this is the only way we can replicate the excellent performance we produced in our opening game. I’ll try to give playing time to all the players at my disposal, without, however, making us lose our balance. A tricky match awaits: they’re physical, play with great intensity and, after having probably underestimated Portugal, will take to the pitch with determination.”

After opening the scoring in Italy’s semi-final victory over New Zealand in the Algarve Cup two years ago, Cristiana Girelli is ready to provide some inspiration again. “The match against Denmark highlighted what we’re all about,” said the Azzurre No.10. “We displayed an awareness of our abilities and, by persisting with the playing principles that we’ve been working on for a long time, we can cause problems for anyone. We’ll need to be attentive tomorrow because, like the Head Coach said, the Norwegians make the most of their physicality. We need to play as a team and take advantage of our technical quality.”

Tournament schedule (all times in local time - GMT)

Wednesday 16 February
Denmark 0-1 ITALY
Norway 0-2 Portugal

Friday 18 February
Sweden vs. Denmark cancelled (Sweden awarded a 3-0 win)

Sunday 20 February
12:00 ITALY vs. Norway (Estadio Algarve - Faro)
17:15 Portugal vs. Sweden (Estadio Algarve - Faro)

Wednesday 23 February
11:00 Final (Estadio Municipal - Lagos)
11:00 – Third place playoff (Estadio Algarve - Faro)

Standings
Sweden, Portugal and Italy 3 points, Norway 0 points