Italy are ready to resume their World Cup qualifying journey at the Tardini in Parma, where they’ll face Lithuania at 19:00 CEST tomorrow. The match precedes the crucial six-pointer against Switzerland on Tuesday in Thun.

In order to draw level with the Swiss at the top of Group G, the Azzurre will have to win both of their upcoming fixtures and score as many goals as possible, particularly as goal difference could come into play.

Around 3,000 fans have purchased tickets to watch the game so far, with many young girls from local schools set to attend and cheer Gama and Co. on. “We’re really happy to be playing in a city that has such a strong footballing tradition,” said Milena Bertolini in her pre-match press conference. “I’m sure that the crowd will give us an extra push. In order to qualify, we’ll need to win all our matches, but the important thing is the team are focused on the 90 minutes coming up against Lithuania.”

Therefore, looking ahead to Tuesday’s match is prohibited, even if the group are aware of the importance of what’s at stake: “So that the women’s game can continue to grow, it’ll be vital to carry on what we’ve been doing since 2019,” the Head Coach continued. “I hope that Italians will continue to support us with passion and fall in love with this team and women’s football even more. Our journey began later than the strongest national teams, but, over the past few years, young players have been put in a position where they’re able to perform at their best thanks to the project that was launched by the Federation in 2015. The Under-19s, who are doing so well, are testament to this. We have talented players and they’re growing. Now, we need to be brave enough to let them play on a consistent basis.”

The highly experienced Sara Gama, who will make her 134th Italy appearance tomorrow, reiterated Bertolini’s words: “We know what our objective is, but, right now, the only thing that counts is winning tomorrow,” the Azzurre captain emphasised. “Since the World Cup in France, we’ve made huge strides forward, and we have a clear identity. A gradual change is taking place; it’s not good when things are done in a hurry. Both emotionally and on a footballing level, chemistry isn’t created out of nothing. We’re working well, something which allows newcomers to perform at their best too.”

Before heading onto the pitch for today’s training session, Gama highlighted the crucial role Milena Bertolini is playing: “Without her, none of this would have been possible. Thanks to her work, we’ve gone down this important path of growth. She knows this environment perfectly, and the results are there for all to see. A huge amount of credit for where we are now should go to her.”