In the Marche region, in Ascoli Piceno, the National Under-21 team in June secured qualification to the final phase of next year's European Championships. And at the 'Del Conero' stadium in Ancona, the Azzurrini will conclude their 2022 with a challenge against the winners of the last European Championships in 2021. Therehigh hopes for Italy vs Germany, a friendly match scheduled for Saturday at 17.30 CET, the third test of the season for Paolo Nicolato's team in preparation for June's tournament in Romania and Georgia: almost 4,500 tickets have already been issued. Facing them will be the team coached by German-Italian Antonio Di Salvo - his parents emigrated from Sicily to Paderborn in the 1970s - whose squad includes two players who play in our league, defender Malick Thiaw (AC Milan) and attacking midfielder Lazar Samardzic (Udinese).

L'Italia, invece, sarà chiamata a nuovi esperimenti, dovuti alle tante assenze tra giocatori infortunati e quelli

Italy, on the other hand, will be forced to experiment again, due to the many absences through injured players and those called up for the senior national team by coach Mancini. "Surely there will be some rookies on the field or boys who have only collected a few minutes," Nicolato explains. "The central defenders, for example, are all 20 years old or younger: I know they will be challenged, but in this way they can show us that they can develop quickly. The match against Germany will be a tough one, which we didn't expect to play under these conditions, but that's fine. Germany are European champions and for us, in the situation we are in, it is a test of character above all. We have the ambition to compete with the strongest sides, we are not interested in playing against teams we know we will dominate. The players' lack of experience will be put to the test, but this is one of those steps that will help us improve".

Nicolato, in this week's training camp, had the chance to prepare for the match with a few more days than usual: "We have ten different players from the previous camp, so experiments are essential. On the Italian scene there aren't many wingers or out-and-out centre forwards, but an abundance of midfielders, there are few central defenders as well. So we are the ones who have to adapt in some way to the characteristics of the players. Lucca? I don't want to answer on individuals. All I'm saying is that if there is a shortage in that role, he must know that the doors are always open to him. He has the opportunity to prove his worth'. Speaking of values, those of the Azzurri group are unquestionable: “We are proud to hear the guys talk about the importance of this jersey,” Nicolato continues. The staff and I try to put values and the general interest first. The support from the Ancona public is expected to be massive: “We are happy to be going places. The boys need support, the positive environment around them can help them, and the fact that we play on a Saturday afternoon can be an extra push to come to the stadium”. 

L'ITALIA AND LE MARCHE The National Under-21 team will return to play in Ancona 14 years after their last match, dated 11 October 2008: on that day, the national team coached by Pierluigi Casiraghi drew 0-0 against Israel in a European Championship qualification play-off. Ancona was also the last city in the Marche region to host the Italian national team: it happened on November 16, 2003 and the Azzurri, then led by Giovanni Trapattoni, beat Romania 1-0 in a friendly match thanks to Di Vaio's goal. The match between Italy and Germany will be the fourth match in 2022 that will see the Azzurri national teams on the pitch in the Marche region, after the Under-20s against Germany and the Under-21s against Ireland at the 'Cino e Lillo Del Duca' stadium in Ascoli and the Under-20s against Poland at the 'Riviera delle Palme' stadium in San Benedetto del Tronto. In the Marche region, in Ascoli, Fermo and Tolentino, the final stages of the championships organised by the FIGC Youth and School Sector were also played. The president of the Marche Region, Francesco Acquaroli, is also expected to be present in the stands for Italy vs Germany.

TICKETS -  Tickets can still be purchased at Vivaticket sales points and on the figc.vivaticket.it and vivaticket.com websites, but on Saturday the box office located at PalaRossini (gate no. 5) will also be open from 10.00. to midday and from 14.30 CET to 17.45 CET. There will be standard prices and reduced rates for Under 18s. Click HERE for all info.

Squad list:

Goalkeepers: Elia Caprile (Bari), Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Stefano Turati (Frosinone);
Defenders: Raoul Bellanova (Inter), Riccardo Calafiori (Basilea), Giorgio Cittadini (Modena), Christian Dalle Mura (SPAL), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Giacomo Quagliata (Cremonese), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Mattia Viti (Nizza);
Midfielders: Edoardo Bove (Roma), Cesare Casadei (Chelsea), Salvatore Esposito (SPAL), Filippo Ranocchia (Monza), Nicolò Rovella (Monza), Filippo Terracciano (Verona), Franco Tongya (Odense);
Forwards: Nicolò Cambiaghi (Empoli), Matteo Cancellieri (Lazio), Lorenzo Colombo (Lecce), Lorenzo Lucca (Ajax), Emanuel Vignato (Bologna), Cristian Volpato (Roma)

Saturday 19 November
10.30 CET -  muscle recovery
17.30 CET - Stadio 'Del Conero' di Ancona ITALY – GERMANY
to follow press conference (in attendance) and dispersal of the group