Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini called up 26 players for the EURO 2020 Qualifiers for the fifth and sixth matchdays of the ‘European Qualifiers’. T he team will meet on Monday 2 September 2019 in Bologna and will arrive in Yerevan on 4 September. The Italian team will play the second game in Finland on 8 September in Tampere.
Italy is leading Group J with 12 points and a positive goal difference of +12 followed by Finland with 9 points in the second position. Italy face Armenia on Thursday 5 September, 18:00 CEST at the ‘Vazgen Sargysan’ Stadium in Yerevan and Finland on Sunday 8 September, 20:45 CEST – at the ‘Tampere Stadion’ in Tampere.
European Qualifiers Group J Standing after Matchday 4
Photo: uefa.com
As reported by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the team will meet on Monday 2 September at the ‘Niccolò Galli’ Training Centre in Bologna (Casteldebole). Coach Roberto Mancini will have a press conference in the afternoon followed by the team’s first training session. The National team will then leave for Yerevan on Wednesday 4 September before moving on to Tampere the day after the match against Armenia.
Photo: figc.it
For Italy, who lead Group J in the European qualifiers after the first 4 matchdays, their path thus far has been an impressive one: four consecutive victories (a 5th would be a record in the history of the Azzurri at the European Championships), which becomes eight if you include the last four qualification matches for EURO 2016. The National Team have not lost at home for 20 years in this particular stage of the competition (9 September 1999 in Naples, Italy 2-3 Denmark), and boast a 13-year unbeaten streak away from home (6 September 2006 in Paris, France 3-1 Italy). Since that defeat at the ‘Stade de France’, the Azzurri have played 34 games in European qualification, with 28 wins, the last eight all coming in a row, and six draws.
ARMENIA VS. ITALY. Italy have faced Armenia twice in the past and both came in the 2014 World Cup qualifying round: one victory and one draw for the Azzurri; a 3-1 win in Yerevan and 2-2 in Napoli. Mkhitaryan and Osvaldo scored in both matches. Three players from the current squad played, Bonucci in both games and then Florenzi and Insigne only in the second. In Yerevan, the day after the match, the National Team will meet with a delegation of youngsters with disabilities, who benefit from financial support thanks to the collaboration of the FIGC with the Embassy of Italy in Armenia, Caritas and PAM/WFP.
FINLAND VS. ITALY. This fixture has taken place 14 times in the past and it is the Azzurri who hold a clear advantage: twelve victories, one draw and one defeat, the last of which came in the only match held at a neutral venue, in Stockholm during the 1912 Olympic Games. Since then have come twelve positive results and seven consecutive wins for the Azzurri. Italy haven’t conceded against the Finns for six games and have never conceded against this opponent in European qualifying matches. Five victories in five matches for Italy in Finland, the last of which came in 2003 in a qualifying match for the 2004 European Championships, the goals scored by Totti and Del Piero.
The National Team will return to action in Italy on 12 October, with a match against Greece scheduled to take place at the ‘Stadio Olimpico’ in Rome. The day before the match the Azzurri will visit the Children’s Hospital ‘Bambino Gesù’, meeting patients and their families; children able to leave the hospital will also be invited to attend the match, together with a representative of the hospital staff. In order to raise funds for this, the FIGC will set up an online auction with shirts signed by the Azzurri along with the donation of a VIP experience with the chance to walk out onto the pitch. The proceeds shall be supplemented by a contribution from the FIGC as part of the partnership between the FIGC and the OPBG for the last 150 years, which also saw a project last June in Coverciano bring young patients to spend a day at the National Training Centre with the chance to meet the Azzurri.
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Frello Filho Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Attackers: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Shangai Shenhua), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Kevin Lasagna (Udinese).
Staff – Head Coach: Roberto Mancini; Team Manager: Gabriele Oriali; Technical assistants: Alberico Evani, Attilio Lombardo, Giulio Nuciari, Fausto Salsano; Athletic coaches: Claudio Donatelli and Andrea Scanavino; Goalkeeping coach: Massimo Battara; Match Analyst: Antonio Gagliardi and Simone Contran; Doctors: Andrea Ferretti (medical area manager) and Carmine Costabile; Physiotherapists: Maurizio Fagorzi, Emanuele Randelli, Fabrizio Scalzi, Luca Lascialfari, Fabio Sannino; Osteopath: Walter Martinelli; Nutritionist: Matteo Pincella; Secretary: Emiliano Cozzi; Head of Press Office: Paolo Corbi.
The National Team’s schedule*
Monday 2 September
Meet in Bologna by midday
17:30 CEST – Press Conference with the Head Coach at the Isokinetic Medical Centre in Bologna (Casteldebole)
18:00 CEST – Training at the Niccolò Galli Training Centre (Casteldebole, open to the media)
Tuesday 3 September
17:30 CEST – Press conference with the players at the Isokinetic Medical Centre in Bologna
18:00 CEST – Training at the Niccolò Galli Training Centre (Casteldebole, behind closed doors)
Wednesday 4 September
10:00 CEST – Flight departs from Bologna to Yerevan
All times below are in local time (+2 in relation to CEST)
18:30 (16:30 CEST) – Press conference with the Coach and one player at the Republican Stadium
19:00 (17:00 CEST) – MD-1 Training at the Republican Stadium (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
Thursday 5 September
20:00 (18:00 CEST) – Armenia vs. Italy at the Republican Stadium. Meeting with the media after the game and then return to team hotel
Friday 6 September
10:30 (8:30 CEST) – Training at the FFA Academy Training Centre (behind closed doors)
16:40 (14:40 CEST) – Flight departs from Yerevan to Tampere
All times below are in local time (+1 in relation to CET)
Saturday 7 September
17:30 (16:30 CEST) – Press conference with the Coach and one player at the Tampere Stadium
18:00 (17:00 CEST) – MD-1 Training at the Tampere Stadium (open to the media for the first 15 minutes)
Sunday 8 September
21:45 (20:45 CEST) – Finland vs. Italy at the Tampere Stadium. Meeting with the media after the game and then airport transfer
01:15 (00:15 CEST) – Flight departs from Tampere to Malpensa/Rome
*Training and press times in Bologna may be subject to change
Hello, my friends. Here are the 2019-2020 Serie A Week 2 Results / Second Round on Friday 30, Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2019.
The Serie A leader is Inter with 6 points and a positive goal difference of +5. Inter claiming an away victory defeating Cagliari at the Sardegna Arena. The only 3 teams winning all 2 games and having 6 points are Inter, Juventus, and Torino.
What a thriller at the Allianz Stadium! Juventus leading with a 3-0 and then a total comeback. It seemed that Napoli got an energizing waking up to almost win the match putting a brave front to level for the 3-3. The game, ironically, is won by Juventus with the involuntary help by Napoli defender Koulibaly scoring an own goal for the final 4-3 giving Juventus the victory.
The Derby della Capitale ended with a 1-1 draw. The bragging rights to rule in Rome is divided with Lazio and Roma. It was not a good result for neither. Lazio were looking to win the match to get full credits while Roma failing to win their first game this season. Roma are now under pressure to start climbing the Serie A standing.
The Derby dell’Emilia claiming the full bragging rights is won by Bologna after defeating SPAL. The emotional derby witnessing the support of the fans to Bologna Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic directing the team while still recovering from Leukemia.
Top Serie A teams standing AFTER Serie A Week 1 game. First 4 qualifying for Champions League, 5 and 6 for Europa League. (as of Sunday 1 September 2019)
– INTER, 1st position with 6 points and a positive goal difference of +5
– JUVENTUS, 2nd position with 6 points and a positive goal difference of +2
– TORINO, 3rd positions with 6 points and a positive goal difference of +2
– LAZIO, 4th position with 4 points and a positive goal difference of +3
– GENOA, 5th position with 4 points and a positive goal difference of +1
– BOLOGNA, 6th position with 4 points and a positive goal difference of +1
Relegation Zone:
– CAGLIARI, 18th position with 0 points and a negative goal difference of -2
– LECCE, 19th position with 0 points and a negative goal difference of -5
– SPAL, 20th position with 0 points and a negative goal difference of -6
51% Ball Possession LAZIO and 49% Ball Possession AS ROMA Lazio 1 – 1 AS Roma
58′ Luis Alberto 17′ Aleksandar Kolarov (PEN)
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Lazio, 2nd position with 3 points and a positive goal difference of +3
AS Roma, 9th position with 1 point and a goal difference of “0”
Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
Goals
DIFF
Points
2
Lazio
1
1
0
0
3:0
3
3
9
Roma
1
0
1
0
3:3
0
1
The Serie A Week 2 game “Derby della Capitale” ended with a 1-1 draw on Sunday 1 September 2019 at the Olimpico di Roma Stadium in Rome, Italy. The bragging rights to rule Rome is split with Lazio and Roma sharing one point each. Lazio reaching four points and Roma reaching two points. Roma will have to profit from the international break to re-boost the squad and start winning.
It is AS Roma to open the score. In the 16th minute, Referee Guida giving a penalty to Roma conceded by Lazio Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after a hand ball in the penalty area. Aleksandar Kolarov converts the penalty defeating goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha with a left footed shot in the bottom left corner.
Lazio equalizing for the 1-1 in the defeating. It is Luis Alberto to score defeating Roma goalkeeper Pau López with a right footed shot in the bottom left corner. The assist is by forward Ciro Immobile.
Referee Marco Guida from the section of Torre Annunziata will be assisted by Ciro Carbone from the section of Napoli and Daniele Bindoni from the section of Venezia. The fourth official will be Gianluca Rocchi from the section of Firenze. The VAR will be Mazzoleni and the AVAR will be Mauro Vivenzi from the section of Brescia.
By Anna Italia
By Anna Italia
