In less than twenty-four hours the Women's National team will play its first ever match at the 'Guido Teghil' stadium in Lignano Sabbiadoro - in front of more than 1,500 spectators - on what will be their last 'home' outing of the year. Tomorrow at 17.30 CET (live on Rai 2) Milena Bertolini's team will play hosts to Austria, still fresh from their excellent run in Euro 2022, which ended in the Quarterfinals and allowed the side coached by Irene Fuhrmann to climb to 19th position in the FIFA rankings (Italy are 14th).

Despite missing out on qualification for the 2023 World Cup, as a result of losing to Scotland in the playoffs played at the beginning of October, Austria are still an ideal test for captain Girelli and her teammates, who will only face top-tier opponents, as requested by the coach. "In the last game against Brazil we did very well," said Milena Bertolini in the press conference. "Tomorrow we will have to repeat the excellent defensive organisation shown in Marassi, also because we will face a strong and physical team with an intense style of play. The girls will have to play with grit, withstand the pressure and be good at interpreting the different phases of the match".

The Azzurre, who have never lost against the Austrians (four wins and one draw), will try to close out the year with back-to-back wins, but before focusing on Tuesday's encounter with Northern Ireland in Belfast (20.00 CET, live on Rai Sport + HD) they will need to overcome the difficult Austrian obstacle. "Enthusiasm and motivation are requirements that every player must have to be part of this national team. What awaits us in the next few months will be a journey on which we will have to be able to add something to our game in each stage: we will work on the attacking phase and on the search for team balance to be ready for the World Cup”.

Absent from the three matches played after the European Championships, Elena Linari is looking forward to wearing the Azzurri jersey again. The Roma defender scored her last goal for the national team against Austria, in their most recent encounter staged just over a year ago, which ended 3-2 to Italy thanks to the penalty kick converted by 'Linus', which negated the earlier equalizer by Wenninger, Linari's club-mate for the past few months. "It was tough being out - these are the words of the 28-year-old from Florence - the injury did not allow me to be with my teammates, I am very happy to be back and it is truly a privilege to be here. We have already processed what happened this summer and now it's time to start again. We will need humility, courage and concentration. Our upcoming games will help us continue to grow and help the younger ones to settle into the group.

Ticketing - Tickets for the Italy vs Austria match can be purchased at Vivaticket branches and on the websites figc.vivaticket.it and vivaticket.com. Standard prices and reduced rates for Under 18s are to be expected. On the day of the match, tickets can also be purchased at the box office in Viale Europa 144, from 10.00 CET to 13.00 CET and from 14.00 CET until the end of the first half.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Roberta Aprile (Juventus), Francesca Durante (Inter), Laura Giuliani (AC Milan);

Defenders: Elisa Bartoli (Roma), Lisa Boattin (Juventus), Federica Cafferata (Fiorentina), Maria Luisa Filangeri (Sassuolo), Elena Linari (Roma), Beatrice Merlo (Inter), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Angelica Soffia (AC Milan);

Midfielders: Arianna Caruso (Juventus), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus), Aurora Galli (Everton), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Benedetta Glionna (Roma), Martina Rosucci (Juventus), Annamaria Serturini (Roma), Flaminia Simonetti (Inter);

Forwards: Barbara Bonansea (Juventus), Sofia Cantore (Juventus), Valentina Giacinti (Roma), Cristiana Girelli (Juventus), Elisa Polli (Inter).

Schedule

Friday 11 November
17.30 CET – ITALY vs Austria

Saturday 12 November
11.00 CET - Training

Sunday 13 November
10.30 CET - Training
16.15 CET - Departure from Trieste to Belfast Airport

Monday 14 November
11.00 GMT - Official MD-1 training at Seaview Stadium

Tuesday 15 November
19.00 GMT – Northern Ireland vs ITALY