Hello, my friends. The Lega Serie A have confirmed the dates for the new 2020-2021 Italian Serie A Season to begin on September 19, 2020 and end May 21, 2021. The winner of the 2019-2020 Scudetto was Juventus winning their 9th consecutive Scudetto.
The announcement from the Serie A’s governing body read: “The League Council met today [Monday 3 August 2020] at 19.00 it unanimously resolved that the Serie A TIM 2020/2021 will begin on the weekend of 19-20 September. The decision confirms the preference already expressed in the afternoon by the majority of the clubs in a meeting dedicated to this theme.”
Reportedly, there will also be a shorter Christmas break than usual and matches will be played on both January 3 and January 6, 2021.
Hellas Verona FC announces that it has acquired Midfielder Marco Benassi on a temporary basis from ACF Fiorentina – with option to buy for the definitive acquisition. The announcement was made on Saturday 12 September 2020.
Benassi was born in Modena on 8 September 1994. Benassi grew up in his hometown team before moving to Inter in 2011. Benassi played with Inter both the Under 17 and the Primavera, with which he won the Scudetto. In the first team, Benassi totaled 13 appearances and 1 goal, the latter achieved in the round of 32 of the Europa League against Cluj on 21 February 2013.
Benassi then transferred to Livorno, in Serie A 2013-14. Barely nineteen, Benassi is one of the key players of the Amaranths, despite relegation to Serie B at the end of the season. Benassi stats making 20 appearances, 4 assists and 2 goals convinces Torino to take him from Inter, first on loan and then outright.
With the Toro shirt he lives some of his best seasons, also earning his first call-ups with the Italian national team, after being captain of the Italian Under 21 team. He remains with Torino from 2014 to 2017, totaling 98 appearances, 8 assists and 11 goals. During his last season with Torino, he wears the captain’s armband several times.
Fiorentina bought him in August 2017, making 17 goals and 5 assists in 95 appearances.
BENE. BENISSIMO. BENASSI!
😍🟡🔵
Marco è un nuovo centrocampista del Verona, a titolo temporaneo con opzione di riscatto dalla @acffiorentina. BENVENUTO!
The Italian National Team Italy is back to action. Italy Head Coach has called up 37 players for their first two games in the UEFA Nations League. The first game Italy vs Bosnia Herzegovina is scheduled Friday 4 September at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence at 20:45. The second game Netherlands vs Italy is on Monday 7 September at the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam at 20:45.
As reported by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) the team will meet at the Coverciano Federal Training Centre on Saturday 29 August evening.
The last game of the Italian team was ten months after Italy’s 9-1 win over Armenia on 18 November at the Renzo Barbera Stadium in Palermo. Italy having eleven consecutive wins.
Head Coach Roberto Mancini called up 37 players (having now called up a total of 67 different players in his time in charge). This date marks the first milestone in a season full of international action, with eight games scheduled over the course of the next two months, all ahead of the European Championship next summer, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Francesco Caputo (Sassuolo), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenua), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Kean (Everton), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna).
*Suspended call-ups awaiting the outcome of medical tests once the players’ respective isolation requirements are complete.
Among the news is the first senior call-up for Alessandro Bastoni, Manuel Locatelli and Francesco Caputo, with the Inter defender having already taken part in a training camp with the senior side in February 2019. Another marked presence is that of Azzurri captain Giorgio Chiellini, who returns to the squad after a year out through injury.
ITALY VS. BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA. These two nations have met on three occasions in the past: after a 2-1 friendly defeat in November 1996, a match which marked an end to the Sacchi era, Italy won both of their subsequent encounters in EURO 2020 qualifiers (2-1 in Turin and 3-0 in Zenica). Italy are unbeaten in Florence, having played 26 games in the city and come away with 20 wins and six draws. Their last trip to the Franchi ended in a 1-0 win for the Azzurri, Graziano Pellé’s goal gifting Italy three points against Malta in EURO 2016 qualifiers.
Photo: via figc.it
NETHERLANDS VS. ITALY. Italy hold a positive record against Dutch opposition: nine wins, nine draws and just three defeats from their 21 meetings. The last of these came in a friendly on 4 June 2018 in Turin (a 1-1 draw with goals from Zaza and Akè), an occasion which also marked Roberto Mancini’s first game in charge on home soil. This will be the Azzurri’s eleventh outing in Amsterdam, their five games against the Netherlands (two wins, three draws) being added to by five games in the 1928 Olympic Games as Italy finished with a bronze medal.
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE 2020/21. This will be the second edition of the new-born international competition, a league divided into four groups from A to D with a promotion and relegation system and won by Portugal in the inaugural edition in 2019. The 2020/21 edition of the tournament has seen League A extended from twelve to 16 nations, with four groups of four teams and a total of six matchdays between September and November 2020.
The 55 federations have been divided into four leagues based on their UEFA national ranking (positions 1-16 in League A, 17-32 in League B, 33-48 in League C and 49-55 in League D). Italy have been inserted into Group 1 of League A, up against the Netherlands, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Poland, who they already faced in the previous edition of the tournament (a 0-0 draw in Bologna and a 1-0 win in Chorzow).
The four group winners from League A will then compete in the final phase of the UEFA Nations League, which will take place at a date still to be determined. The knockout tournament will be hosted by Group 1’s winner, with the host cities set to be Milan and Turin should Italy top their group. The group winners in Leagues B, C and D will be promoted, while the last-placed teams in Leagues A and B will be relegated. Seeing as League C has four groups and League D has just two, the two teams to be relegated from League C will be decided through play-offs over two legs. One novelty from the Nations League comes in the availability of two play-off places for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar: along with the ten group winners from qualification which begins in March 2021, there will also be play-offs for the ten runners-up from the World Cup qualifiers, along with the top two group winners from the UEFA Nations League who haven’t already qualified or made the play-offs.
<> at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on November 11, 2019 in Florence, Italy.
Photo: via figc.it
👉 The schedule (all times CEST):
Saturday 29 August
The group to meet at the Coverciano Federal Training Centre by 23:30
Sunday 30 August
13:45 – Press conference with the Coach at the Coverciano Auditorium
17:30 – Training (behind closed doors)
Monday 31 August
13:45 – Press conference with a player at the Coverciano Auditorium
17:30 – Training (behind closed doors)
Tuesday 1 September
13:45 – Press conference with a player at the Coverciano Auditorium
17:30 – Training (behind closed doors)
Wednesday 2 September
13:45 – Press conference with a player at the Coverciano Auditorium
17:30 – Training (behind closed doors)
Thursday 3 September
17:00 – Italy’s press conference (Coach and one player) at the Stadio Franchi in Florence (location TBC)
17:30 – Italy’s training at the Stadio Franchi in Florence (open to the press for the first 15 minutes – location TBC)
18:30 – Bosnia & Herzegovina’s press conference (Coach and one player) at the Stadio Franchi in Florence
19:00 – Bosnia & Herzegovina’s training at the Stadio Franchi in Florence (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)
Friday 4 September
20:45 – Italy vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina (Stadio Franchi in Florence)
Followed by a press conference with the Coach
Saturday 5 September
10:00 – Training (behind closed doors)
17:30 – Transfer Florence to Venice
Sunday 6 September
10:45 – Transfer Venice to Amsterdam
11:00 – The Netherlands’ training at the KNVB Campus (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)
13:15 – The Netherlands’ press conference (Coach and one player) at the KNVB Campus
17:30 – Italy’s press conference (Coach and one player) at the Johan Cruijff ArenA
18:00 – Italy’s training at the Johan Cruijff ArenA (open to the press for the first 15 minutes)
Monday 7 September
20:45 – Netherlands vs. Italy (Johan Cruijff ArenA)
Followed by a press conference with the Coach and the squad’s return to Italy
Hellas Verona new 2020-2021 season has officially started. From Wednesday 19 August, and until Friday, 21 August, Hellas Verona team will be involved in the medical tests required by the current health protocol, while on the morning of Saturday, 22 August, before the departure for the retreat in Santa Cristina in Val Gardena, Captain Miguel Veloso and his teammates will undergo functional tests at the Isokinetic in Verona.
Hellas Verona ended the 2019-2020 Season in the 9th position with 49 points, 12 wins, 13 draws, and 13 lost. You bet, Coach Ivan Juric will look to improve the new season.
By Anna Italia
![Verona Logo]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA2cVkx?f=PNG&h=30&w=30&m=6&q=60&o=t&l=f"})