After having won the last edition of the Elite League, the Under-20 national team will make its debut for this year’s tournament, tomorrow against Poland. Alberto Bollini has summoned 21 players for this new challenge (two have dropped out from the initial 23: Riccardo Calafiori is currently recovering from an injury and Gaetano Pio Oristanio was recently called up to the Under-21s). The side will take on the Poles tomorrow at 17:30 CEST at the Stadio Riviera delle Palme in San Benedetto del Tronto, mirroring the start to last year’s tournament, when the Azzurrini won 2-0: "Last year was an exciting experience, because we were able to create a great harmony amongst the group, especially considering the team was comprised of players from Primavera, Serie B and C. The characters of players proved decisive in creating a strong team cohesion, which made our game successful. It is thanks to this, that in the 7 games we played, we were able implement our game plan on the pitch, improving our ability to perform well for longer. The public’s response was also quite exhilarating: I still remember the game against Germany in Ascoli with the stadium full and boisterous: it was an incredible energy," said the Head Coach.

Tomorrow, we take on Poland again: “We started the game well last year and we will look to do the same tomorrow, although very much aware of the fact that we face a strong team, with at least six players featuring in last season’s instalment of the competition. Those who have acclimatised to this level develop a sharpness which can be difficult to contain. However, we are well-equipped, and tomorrow promises to be a good match," concluded Bollini.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Sorrentino (Pescara), Giovanni Garofani (Juventus);

Defenders: Tommaso Barbieri (Juventus), Nicolò Savona (Juventus), Alessandro Pio Riccio (Juventus), Andrea Papetti (Brescia), Christian Dalle Mura ( Pordenone), Giorgio Cittadini (Atalanta), Matteo Ruggeri (Salernitana);

Midfielders: Alessandro Mercati (Montevarchi), Simone Panada (Atalanta), Aldo Florenzi (Cosenza), Tommaso Pantaleo Milanese (Alessandria), Nicolò Cavuoti (Cagliari), Nikola Sekulov (Juventus), Franco Daryl Tongya Heubang (Olympique Marseille);

Forwards: Nicolò Cudrig (Juventus), Cosimo Marco Da Graca (Juventus), Nicholas Bonfanti (Modena), Jacopo Desogus (Cagliari), Lorenzo Di Stefano (Sampdoria). 

Staff: Delegation Head, Evaristo Beccalossi; Secretary, Fabio Ferappi; Head Coach, Alberto Bollini; Assistant Coach, Enrico Battisti; Athleticism Coach, Marco Montini; Goalkeeper Coach, Graziano Vinti; Match Analyst, Francesco Donzella; Nutritionist, Cristian Petri; Doctors, Luca Labianca, Alessandro Carrozzo and Lorenzo Sapegno; Physiotherapists, Tommaso Cannata and Andrea Cantera.

Italy’s calendar

7 June 2022: ITALY vs. Poland
23 September 2022: Portugal vs. ITALY
17 November 2022: Romania vs. ITALY
21 November 2022: ITALY vs. Czech Republic
23 March 2023: Norway vs. ITALY
27 March 2023: ITALY vs. Germany