It’s finally the eve before the match. At the New York Stadium in Rotherham, Italy Women have just finished their preparations for their Women’s Euro 2022 opener, which will see them face France – one of the favourites to win the tournament – at 21:00 CEST tomorrow in front of an 11,000 capacity crowd.

Almost three years on from the start of their Euro qualifying campaign and after more than a month of preparations, Gama and Co. can’t wait to get going. As they did during the 2018 World Cup, the group is aiming to enthuse millions of Italians this summer.

The key word is “fun”, a sort of mantra for a team that – technical qualities aside – has built its fortunes on cohesion and enthusiasm. Attending tomorrow’s difficult curtain-raiser against France will be FIGC President Gabriele Gravina and Ludovica Mantovani, President of the Women’s Football Division, who are ready to support the Azzurre on a new adventure towards the quarter-finals. Under the stewardship of Cabrini, Italy didn’t achieve this in 2017, but it’s the minimum objective this time around.

“I’ll ask the girls to take to the pitch with courage and the desire to make sacrifices,” said Milena Bertolini in her pre-match press conference. “Our journey at the World Cup in France was certainly enriching for us, but now we need to turn the page and focus on the present, bringing along the wealth of experience we’ve gained in recent years.” Valentina Cernoia won’t be available for the match against Corinne Diacre’s side, with the Head Coach having the following to say about her absence: “When you’re involved in such a tournament, you need to rely on the whole squad. I have 23 starters here with me, and I’m sure that whoever plays, whether they start or come on during the match, will be ready.”

As regards the gap between Italy and other countries, these were Bertolini’s comments: “In Italy, we’re paying the price for a lack of planning for 15 years, meaning we’ve been forced to chase other national teams. We’ve managed to bridge this gap through tactical organisation and a strong group rapport, allowing my players to go beyond the limits both technically and physically. We have great knowledge of the game; it’s a cultural fact that gives us an advantage over nations where football is experienced differently.”

Sara Gama also responded to journalists’ questions at the New York Stadium: “We’re starting to feel the right amount of tension, but we’re continuing to train and play with smiles on our faces, as we’ve done throughout our training camp,” said the Azzurre captain. “We’re happy to be here and want to have fun, give our all and enjoy every moment of this adventure. We’re eager to play our opening match in a competition where we’ll come up against top-quality sides. However, we’re growing at a rapid pace and want to implement what we’ve tried out recently.”

For taking to the pitch for one final session before the game, Gama talked about the men’s National Team: “Like everyone, we’re very disappointed that the Azzurri won’t be taking part in the World Cup. We don’t expect there to be more pressure on us because they didn’t qualify, also because the pressure we’ve been experiencing for months is already enough. We’re focused on what we need to do on the pitch and don’t want to be distracted by anything.”