By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A

Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini completing the training with the team on Wednesday 2 June 2021 with a session out on the pitches at the Centro Tecnico Federale.   The training was behind closed doors.  As reported by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC),  all the boys trained together, except Marco Verratti who did some separate work in the gym and swimming pool as he recovers from injury.  Matteo Pessina also trained with the main group.

The Azzurri are preparing for the International Friendly game against Czech Republic on Friday 4 June at the Renato Dall’Ara Stadium in Bologna at 20:45. It is a significant test, against another side that will take part in the tournament; they were drawn into Group D with Croatia, England and Scotland.

Head Coach Mancini will have a press conference on Thursday at 17:15 at the Media Centre in Coverciano. The players will also put the finishing touches to their preparation on the pitch.

This morning, pre-training, was dedicated to the official photos: this Azzurri squad was immortalized on the main pitch at Coverciano – the “Vittorio Pozzo” pitch – in their kit and then in official Armani suits. Early in the day, snaps and videos were recorded by UEFA at the Media Centre.

#Azzurri 🇮🇹

📹 Highlights from today’s training session at #Coverciano, ft. keepy-ups, keep-ball and more 🔥#VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/MewCyMJPpg

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 2, 2021

The hard work never stops 💪😤#Azzurri 🇮🇹 #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/YMjYVRJsmX

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 2, 2021

✅ Italy’s full 26-man Euro 2020 squad:

Goalkeepers: 21 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), 26 Alex Meret (Napoli), 1 Salvatore Sirigu (Torino);

Defenders: 15 Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), 23 Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), 19 Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), 3 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), 2 Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), 13 Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), 24 Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint Germain), 4 Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), 25 Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);

Midfielders: 18 Nicolò Barella (Inter), 16 Bryan Cristante (Roma), 8 Frello Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), 5 Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), 7 Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), 12 Stefano Sensi (Inter), 6 Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);

Forwards: 9 Andrea Belotti (Torino), 11 Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), 20 Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), 14 Federico Chiesa (Juventus), 17 Ciro Immobile (Lazio), 10 Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), 22 Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo).

#Azzurri 🇮🇹

📣 The 26 players called-up for #EURO2020 by Coach Roberto #Mancini 🇪🇺#Euros #Italy #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/T2h6CiIrND

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 1, 2021

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Lovely day for it ☀️🤩#Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/1OrB8V1ytd

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) June 2, 2021

✅ ITALY vs. CZECH REPUBLIC – The two sides have an equal past record: two wins, two draws, two losses for the Azzurri against the Czechs. If we take games against Czechoslovakia into account as well, Italy have 9 victories to their 8, including the 2-1 win in extra time in the World Cup Final (Italia ’34), and there have been 9 draws. Italy’s 3-0 win in Genoa on 13 December 1953 was the National Team’s first game to be televised, with commentary from Carlo Bacarelli. Bologna will on this occasion host the Azzurri for a 22nd time, almost 3 years since the last time in September 2018.

✅ UEFA EURO 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic forced UEFA to postpone the competition by a year. Initially scheduled for a 12 June 2020 start, the Euros will be played from 11 June – 11 July 2021. It is the first Euros shared all around Europe, with the idea being to celebrate 60 years since the competition’s inception. It will voyage from Rome, where the opening ceremony and game will take place, to 10 other cities (Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenaghen, Glasgow, London, Munich, Seville and St Petersburg), after Dublin pulled out and Bilbao was replaced by Seville. Italy, in Group A, will play Turkey (11 June, 21:00), Switzerland (16 June, 21:00) and Wales (20 June, 18:00) at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome.

✅ RAI 1 AND THE AZZURRI. It will be a Euros followed closely by RAI’s channels and platforms. This evening, on RAI at 21:25 CEST, “Note Azzurra” will go live; it’s a programme hosted by Amadeus in a studio with the National Team and several artists, who will celebrate the start of the side’s Euros adventure. In addition, from 7 to 10 June at 20:45, “Sogno Azzuro” will be on, a 4-part mini-series on Rai 1 that tells the story of the Azzurri’s qualification and journey to the Euros. For the first time in the Azzurri’s long and illustrious history, the supporters will be able to enter Coverciano, follow the players’ arrival, team meetings, training, moments of down-time, their travel to games, and “live” alongside the team before and after games, both on the pitch and in the changing rooms. The public will gain insight into the important people who contribute to sporting outcomes, and the themes and values that they bring to the table: from human relationships to courage, from fear to redemption. “Sogno Azzurro”, the first project signed by Rai’s newly-created Direzione Nuovi Formati, spans 10 months, from September 2020 and will run until the build-up to the first game of the Euros, which is on 11 June. Another exclusive feature on Rai, in addition to their purchase of the rights to show Euro 2020 matches.

✅ MEDIA CENTRE. For UEFA EURO 2020, the Centro Tecnico Federale in Coverciano will host the National Team Media Centre: representatives of key Media outlets assigned to cover the tournament will have exclusive access to the centre. They will need to book available slots, which will be limited by anti-Covid restrictions, daily. All press members will, though, be able to follow the conferences via a digital platform, the name of which will be released soon. TV operators and cameramen are not due to have access: photos and images, both of press conferences and behind-closed-doors training sessions, will be shared by FIGC.

✅ CASA AZZURRI. From 9-20 June, “Casa Azzurri” will open, a structure that accompanies the World Cup and Euros to host fans and promote the Azzurri’s partners. For this tournament, “Casa Azzurri”, a brand and structure owned by FIGC, will be in the ‘PratiBus District’ of Rome (Viale Angelico, 52), a unique location which is now the fruit of major redevelopment on a portion of the former ATAC Victory Depot, which covers 5,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor spaces.

It will host a restaurant, pub and bar area, as well as a meeting room, an interactive Museum and an area dedicated to FIGC’s partners. Radio Italia music will play, as well as piano bars, live DJs, karaoke and a series of exclusive concerts for “Casa Azzurri” guests. A couple of big-screens will show all the Group Stage games at Euro 2020, including Italy’s games against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales, to allow Azzuri fans to watch all together whilst respecting COVID regulations.

Photo via figc.it

✅ Italy Itinerary (all times CEST)

Wednesday 2 June
10.30 – Official EURO 2020 Photo and UEFA Media Day (behind closed doors)
17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Thursday 3 June
**17:15 – Press conference, Coach + 1 player at Media Centre
* 18:00 – Training (behind closed doors except first 15 mins)

Friday 4 June
20:45 – Friendly vs. Czech Republic at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Bologna

Saturday 5 June
*11:00 – Training match vs. Italy Under-20s (behind closed doors)

Sunday 6 June
By 22:00, meet-up at the Coverciano Federal Technical Centre

Monday 7 June
**14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Tuesday 8 June
**14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Wednesday 9 June
**14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Thursday 10 June
11:00 – Florence-Rome transfer
**17:45 – Press conference, Coach + 1 player at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome
*18:30 – Training at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome (behind closed doors except first 15 mins)

Friday 11 June
*11:00 – Training at the Olympic Center Giulio Onesti (behind closed doors)
21:00 – Italy vs. Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico. Press conference/media duties after full-time.

Saturday 12 June
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Sunday 13 June
** 14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Monday 14 June
** 14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Tuesday 15 June
11:00 – Transfer Florence-Rome
**16:45 – Press conference, Coach + 1 player at Hotel Parco dei Principi
*19:15 – Training at the Olympic Center Giulio Onesti (behind closed doors except first 15 mins)

Wednesday 16 June
21:00 – Italy vs. Switzerland at the Stadio Olimpico. Press conference/media duties after full-time.

Thursday 17 June
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Friday 18 June
** 14:00 – Players meet media
*17:00 – Training (behind closed doors)

Saturday 19 June
11:00 – Transfer Florence-Rome
**16:45 – Press conference, Coach + 1 player at Hotel Parco dei Principi
*19:15 – Training at the Olympic Center Giulio Onesti (behind closed doors except first 15 mins)

Sunday 20 June
18:00 – Italy vs. Wales at the Stadio Olimpico. Press conference/media duties after full-time.

N.B. Timetables are subject to possible change
* photos will be taken and shared by FIGC
**media access will be limited to reduced numbers