Italy Under 21’s will start their new season in Jurmala. The city sits 20 kilometres from the capital, Riga, and will play host to Latvia vs. Italy (16:00 CEST, live on Rai2). The match will be Carmine Nunziata’s debut in the dugout for the Azzurrini and will be the first game as part of the qualifying round for the U21 Euro 2025 in Slovakia. The squad touched down yesterday in Latvia following their initial sessions at the Olympic Training Centre in Tirrenia. Nunziata’s feelings are positive: “The feedback has certainly been good, also because I already knew many of the boys. Ahead of the game, we have to assess the physical condition of some of the players, specifically Turicchia, Baldanzi and Miretti who all have some minor problems. Any issues are evidently linked to the fact that we are at the start of the season and players will not be in peak form”

Focusing on Latvia, amongst the players called up they will be able to count on Catania’s goalkeeper, Klav Bethers, but not on Dario Sits, the forward on loan at Spal from Parma, as he has injured his knee in the last few days. Nunziata spoke: “We’re talking about a good squad with good players, in a context where simple international games no longer exist. It is important to start the round well: I’ve always thought that the first match is extremely important when you participate in these competitions”. Latvia won the only match played so far, in June against San Marino.

The ideas are clear: “The principles are the same. Build up from the back, pressure the opposition and play with an all-important intensity. An attacking midfielder will probably play rather than two up-front, but I ask the boys to be a team with a common goal, to play to win the match and with intensity. It will be difficult to see these characteristics for 90 minutes already tomorrow, but if the squad plays well then most likely a good result will come too”.

Lorenzo Pirola will captain the side: “He took part last season and is an important player”. Regarding the rest of the line-up, however, the squads' condition will have to be assessed: “Baldanzi and Miretti have great quality and make all the difference. Miretti can play as an inside forward or an attacking midfielder, I’ve also made him play in a more central position: in the midfield, he can cover any role. He who has more experience must be there to support the others, but knowing the group there isn’t any need to tell them that because they all have a winning mentality having played in World Cups and in Euros, they already know what they have to do”. Michael Kayode, the matchwinner for Italy in the final of the Under 19 Euros against Malta, will also be there in Latvia. Nunziata explains: “He’s tearing it up. In the last year and a half, he’s improved a lot: we’re talking about a promising young talent, but who must also gain some experience.”

 

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), Jacopo Sassi (Pro Vercelli), Gioele Zacchi (Giana Erminio)
Defenders: Giorgio Cittadini (Monza), Diego Coppola (Verona), Daniele Ghilardi (Sampdoria), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Michael Olabode Kayode (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (Sankt Gallen)
Midfielders: Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Edoardo Bove (Roma), Cesare Casadei (Leicester), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Cher Ndour (Paris Saint Germain), Simone Panada (Sampdoria), Matteo Prati (Cagliari), Franco Heubang Tongya (AEK Larnaca)
Forwards: Marco Nasti (Bari), Lorenzo Colombo (Monza), Francesco Pio Esposito (Spezia), Gaetano Pio Oristanio (Cagliari)

UEFA EURO UNDER 21 2025 - GROUP A
Thursday 7 September
San Marino vs. Norway (18:00 CEST)
Friday 8 September
Latvia vs. Italy (Jurmala, 16:00 CEST)
Ireland vs. Turkey (20:30 CEST)
Table: Latvia (1) 3, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Turkey, San Marino (1) 0


ITALY’S SCHEDULE
Tuesday 12 September (08:30 CEST): Turkey vs. Italy (Kocaeli)
Tuesday 17 October (ore 17:45 CEST): Italy vs. Norway (Bolzano)
Thursday 16 November: San Marino vs. Italy
Tuesday 21 November: Ireland vs. Italy
Friday 22 March 2024: Italy vs. Latvia
Tuesday 26 March 2024: Italy vs. Turkey
Thursday 5 September 2024: Italy vs. San Marino
Tuesday 10 September 2024: Norway vs. Italy
Tuesday 15 October 2024: Italy vs. Ireland

Schedule

Thursday 7 September*
16:00 CEST training at Slokas Stadions  in Jurmala (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)

Friday 8 September*
16:00 CEST Latvia vs. Italy (Slokas Stadions, Jurmala)
Followed by a post-match press conference available on Zoom and in person

Saturday 9 September*
10:00 CEST flight from Riga to Sakarya and transfer to the Wyndham Izmit
16:30 CEST training (open to the press)

Sunday 10 September*
10:30 CEST  training (open to the press)
13:00 CEST player press conference (Zoom and in person)

Monday 11 September*
11:00 CEST Nunziata press conference (Zoom and in person)
17:00 CEST training at the Izmit Stadium, Kocaeli (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)

Tuesday 12 September*
18:30 CEST Turkey vs. Italy (Izmit Stadium, Kocaeli)
Followed by a press conference (Zoom and in person), flights from Sakarya to Milan Malpensa and Roma Fiumicino and the disbandment of the group

*(CEST, Turkey and Latvia CEST+1)