By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A
Belgium – Italy 
The appointment is set. The Italian team ready to fulfill the mission to win the UEFA Euro 2020 Quarterfinals against Belgium on Friday 2 July 2021 at the Football Arena Munich in Germany. Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini, with 31 unbeaten games, beat the record of unbeaten matches, held for more than eighty years by Vittorio Pozzo’s national team. Mancini will look to claim the victory number 32 which will mean passing to the Semifinals.
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On paper, Italy is favorite to win, yet, nothing is taken for granted. Belgium is motivated and the leading force is a familiar face. Inter forward Romelu Lukaku is ready to confront Italy along his teammate Napoli forward Dries Martens. Belgium have won all their games at these Euros against Russia, Denmark and Finland with seven goals scored and only one conceded. On Round of 16, Belgium eliminated Portugal the defending champions.
During the press conference, Roberto Mancini stated that “Belgium are a great team, they have been at the top of the rankings for three years. We hope they can recover all their players because while we obviously know that they would put us in more difficulty, it would make a more beautiful game of football. For the spectators, seeing the full teams play would be the best thing”.
Mancini added, “It’ll be a difficult game, Belgium have extraordinary players. The team that makes fewer mistakes will win: Even one could be decisive”. The Round of 16 match against Austria was also difficult, but the Azzurri managed to overcome that obstacle, while other prestigious national teams such as France, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands have already returned home: “We suffered a bit more against Austria, but by the end we created 26 shots on goal. We deservedly won, and let’s remember that there are no easy games, the European Championship teaches us this. I would be happy tomorrow to suffer and create 26 shots on goal. We’re happy with what we’ve done so far, and we want to advance further”.
Mancini has a clear idea about the team that will face Belgium (“Doubts about the line-up? Few. We’ll wait for tomorrow to evaluate everyone’s physical conditions”) and, while he knows that the road is getting tough now, he knows he has the means to go all the way: “We’re on the tougher side of the draw, at least on paper, but there is nothing simple and obvious at this level. We play one game at a time starting from tomorrow; we are aware of our qualities”.
Five years ago, Italy began their European Championship campaign by beating Belgium, somewhat surprisingly, with goals from Giaccherini and Pellé. The following day Bonucci and Chiellini, the only remaining ‘veterans’ of the starting eleven that night in Lyon, were rewarded with high scores in the newspapers’ report cards for having kept a certain Romelu Lukaku at bay. “I recovered from the injury and I’m fine – Giorgio Chiellini declared at the press conference – but Mancini has everyone available, and he will decide who will play. This group is great, the coach will have several doubts in his head. Everyone can aspire to play, anyone who steps onto the pitch will be ready for Lukaku and everyone else, without diverging from our own game. I’m sure that we’ll play a great match”.
The Azzurri captain replied with a smile to those who pointed out to him that from midnight last night he and Messi are two players without a club: “We’re both left-footed, but our technique is different. I don’t think about being released in the slightest. We are calm, I think Messi probably more than me”.
UEFA Euro 2020
Quarterfinals
Belgium – Italy
Friday 2 July 2021
Football Arena Munich
Munich, Germany
21:00
Referee: Slavko Vinčić (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Tomaž Klančnik (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Andraž Kovačič (SVN)
Fourth Official: Fernando Rapallini (ARG)
Reserve AR: Juan Belatti (ARG)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR 1: Marco Fritz (GER)
AVAR 2: Christian Gittelmann (GER)
AVAR 3: Pawel Gil (POL)
Referee Observer: Vitor Melo Pereira (POR)