Italy recently finished first in Group B, progressing through to the last 16 thanks to wins over Mexico and Ecuador and a draw against Japan. Today, the team will return to Gdansk where they’ll be in action at the Gdynia Stadium on Sunday 2 June at 17:30 CEST. Their opponent will be decided tomorrow when all the group stages will be settled and the Azzurrini will prepare to face one of the four best third-placed sides. There’s a good chance that they could face hosts Poland.

Before leaving on the Team Bus this morning, Nicolato’s side completed a light session. Davide Bettella was absent from training, as he underwent a medical assessment following a knock to his right thigh. The medical staff expect him to be back next Sunday. Meanwhile, yesterday’s game against Japan saw a total of nine changes to Italy’s team, with Paolo Nicolato opting for a 4-3-3 instead of his 3-5-2. Marco Carnesecchi also made his debut against Japan, during which he was the game’s hero.

When the match kicked off, Japan came close on a number of occasions in the first half. The biggest chance for Kageyama’s side came when they were awarded a penalty after nine minutes as Buongiorno brought down by Tagawa in the box. However, Ito was denied from the spot by Carnesecchi, who did well to follow the ball’s trajectory and make the save – as Plizzari had done against Ecuador three days prior to that.

After the game, the goalkeeper had this to say: “I’d studied Japan’s penalty takers with the backroom staff but my intuition and reflexes also really helped me. I leapt to my left and I managed to save it. I think that a goalkeeper must make their presence felt and give their support to their teammates from the back. From the goal, you have a clearer picture of what can happen. It was hard yesterday but we managed it together.”

World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Plizzari (Milan), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Leonardo Loria (Juventus);
Defenders: Luca Pellegrini (Cagliari), Alessandro Buongiorno (Carpi), Alessandro Tripaldelli (Crotone), Luca Ranieri (Foggia), Matteo Gabbia (Lucchese), Raoul Bellanova (Milan), Davide Bettella (Pescara), Antonio Candela (Genoa), Enrico Delprato (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Salvatore Esposito (Ravenna), Davide Frattesi (Ascoli), Domenico Roberto Alberico (Hoffenheim), Andrea Colpani (Atalanta);
Forwards: Gabriele Gori (Livorno), Marco Olivieri (Juventus), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Andrea Pinamonti (Frosinone), Christian Capone (Pescara).

Staff – Delegation Head: Massimo Paganin; National Teams Co-ordinator Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Paolo Nicolato; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Secretary: Fabio Ferappi; Fitness Coach: Vincenzo Pincolini; Goalkeeping Coach: Matteo Mareggini; Match Analyst: Francesco Bordin; Doctors: Matteo Vitali and Luca Labianca; Physiotherapists: Nicola Sanna and Andrea Mangino; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli.

World Cup groups
Group A: Poland, Colombia, Tahiti, Senegal
Group B: Mexico, ITALY, Japan, Ecuador
Group C: Honduras, New Zealand, Uruguay, Norway
Group D: Qatar, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States of America
Group E: Panama, Mali, France, Saudi Arabia
Group F: Portugal, South Korea, Argentina, South Africa

Group B fixtures and results (all times CEST)

Matchday One (23 May)
18:00: ITALY 2-1 Mexico
20:30: Japan 1-1 Ecuador

Matchday Two (26 May)
15:30: Mexico 0-3 Japan
18:00: Ecuador 0-1 ITALY

Matchday Three (29 May)
18:00: Ecuador 1-0 Mexico (Gdynia)
18:00: ITALY 0-0 Japan (Bydgoszcz)

Standings: ITALY 7 points, Japan 5, Ecuador 4, Mexico 0

N.B. The top two from each group plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the last 16