There are only ten days to go before the Under-17 European qualification stages get underway in Kosovo - from 5 to 11 October - as Italy are set to face the hosts, Finland and Greece. Head Coach Bernardo Corradi has selected 27 players (25 from the 2006 age group and 2007-born Matteo Cocchi and Francesco Verde), who will meet up tomorrow at the National Training Centre in Coverciano. At the end of the friendly game with their counterparts from Fiorentina, on Sunday 2 October, Corradi will reduce his squad down to 20 players, who will then depart for Kosovo the following day ahead of their first match of the competition's first phase. 

Italy kick off in the capital Pristina against the host nation on Wednesday 5 October (16 CEST), and then face Finland on Saturday 8 at 16:00 CEST, before finishing off against Greece on Tuesday 11 at 13:00 CEST. The top two and the four best third-placed teams out of the 13 groups will go through to the Elite phase.

The Squad List

Goalkeeper: Tommaso Martinelli (Fiorentina), Omar Rugginenti (Milan), Francesco Tommasi (Inter);
Defenders: Tommaso Della Mora (Inter), Matteo Cocchi (Inter), Michele Ercoli (Lazio), Gabriel Ramaj (Atalanta), Thomas Renda (Fiorentina), Edoardo Sadotti (Fiorentina), Francesco Verde (Juventus), Alessandro Ventre (Juventus), Andrea Zilio (Bologna);
Midfielders: Francesco Crapisto (Juventus), Lapo Deli (Fiorentina), Cosimo Fiorini (FC Zurich), Gabriele Finocchiaro (Juventus), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Leonardo Mendicino (Atalanta), Simone Pafundi (Udinese), Lorenzo Riccio (Atalanta), Marco Romano (Genoa), Jacopo Simonetta (SPAL);
Forwards: Riccardo Braschi (Fiorentina), Federico Ragnoli Galli (Atalanta), Emanuele Rao (SPAL), Tommaso Ravaglioli (Bologna), Filippo Scotti (Milan).

Staff - Head Coach: Bernardo Corradi; Head of Delegation: Filippo Corti; Youth Teams Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Assistant Coach: Massimiliano Favo; Goalkeeper Coach: Davide Quironi; Fitness Coach: Adalberto Zamuner; Match Analyst: Andrea Loiacono; Doctors: Francesco Maria Nifosi, Attilio Romano, Alessandro Carducci and Alessio Rossato; Nutritionist: Claudio Pecorella; Physiotherapists. Fabrizio Casati and Enrico Matera; School Teacher: Stefano Presciutti; Secretary: Massimo Petracchini.

Group 8 fixtures

Matchday 1 (5 October)
13:00 CEST: Finland vs. Greece (Zahir Pajaziti Stadium-Podujevo)
16:00 CEST: Kosovo vs. ITALY (Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri-Pristina)

Matchday 2 (8 October)
13:00 CEST: Kosovo vs. Greece (Zahir Pajaziti Stadium-Podujevo)
16:00 CEST: ITALY vs. Finland (Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri-Pristina)

Matchday 3 (11 October)
13:00 CEST: Kosovo vs. Finland (Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri-Pristina)
13:00 CEST: ITALY vs. Greece (Zahir Pajaziti Stadium-Podujevo)