The U19s’ European adventure is beginning. The Azzurrini have now arrived in Šamorín, where they’ll stay for as long as they remain in the European Championship. Italy, who are in Group A, will start their campaign on 18 June against Romania. They’ll then take on hosts Slovakia three days later before facing France on 24 June. Group B is made up of England, Israel, Austria and Serbia, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals, which will be played on Tuesday 28 June. All four semi-finalists will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia, along with the winner of a play-off between the sides finishing third in the two groups, thus filling UEFA's five slots.

Today, Head Coach Carmine Nunziata named his 20-man squad for the tournament. While Wilfried Gnonto and Giorgio Scalvini (both of whom featured in the senior setup for the Nations League) won’t be involved, there’s a place for Fabio Miretti, who bagged three goals and provided four assists across the two qualifying phases. After recently featuring for Nicolato’s U21s, the Juventus man will join up with the U19s on 18 June, the day the team take to the pitch against Romania. He won’t feature in that match, however, due to suspension.

Carmine Nunziata didn’t hide away from the fact that it won’t be easy: “Having come this far, every team will pose a threat. The best eight European sides will be involved and, at youth level, a team’s prestige doesn’t always correspond to its strength. Every match is a story in itself.” As regards the dangers of the group: “Our first match is against Romania, who have good individuals in attack, and then we’ll face Slovakia, who, in front of their own crowd, will do everything to make things difficult. They’re good at disrupting their opponents and are effective on the counter. As for France, we know them well due to their physicality and the quality of their game. During this tournament, we’ll take to the pitch to win. The aim is to achieve two objectives: qualify for the U20 World Cup and go all the way in these Euros.”

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Milan), Gioele Zacchi (Sassuolo);

Defenders: Diego Coppola (Hellas  Verona), Alessandro Fontanarosa (Inter), Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), Gabriele Mulazzi (Juventus), Riccardo Stivanello (Bologna), Filippo Terracciano (Hellas Verona), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus);

Midfielders: Cesare Casadei (Inter), Duccio Degli Innocenti (Empoli), Giovanni Fabbian (Inter), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Samuel Giovane (Atalanta), Fabio Miretti (Juventus);

Forwards: Giuseppe Ambrosino Di Bruttopilo (Napoli), Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Marco Nasti (Milan), Cristian Volpato (Roma). 

Staff. Delegation Head: Gianfranco Serioli; National Youth Team Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Assistant Coach: Emanuele Filippini; Fitness Coach: Vito Azzone; Goalkeeping Coach: Fabrizio Ferron; Doctors: Carmelo Papotto and Raffaele Iorio; Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Fabrizio Casati; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli; Press Officer: Giuseppe Ingrati; Secretary: Aldo Blessich. 

Groups

Group A.  Slovakia, Romania, Italy, France

Group B. England, Israel, Serbia, Austria

Saturday 18 June

Slovakia vs. France (17:30, Trnava)

Italy vs. Romania (20:00, Dunajská Streda)

Tuesday 21 June

Slovakia vs. Italy (17:30, Trnava)

Romania vs. France (20:00, Dunajská Streda)

Friday 24 June

Group A: Romania vs. Slovakia (17:30, Trnava)

Group A: France vs. Italy (17:30, Dunajská Streda)

FIFA U-20 World Cup play-off:

Tuesday 28 June
Third place Group A vs. Third place Group B (17:00, Senec)

Semi-finals:

Tuesday 28 June
SF1: Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group B (17:00 or 20:00, Trnava or Dunajská Streda)
SF2: Winner Group B vs. Runner-up Group A (17:00 or 20:00, Trnava or Dunajská Streda)

Final:

Friday 1 July
Winner SF1 vs. Winner SF2 (20:00, Trnava)