The head coach did not announce the starting XI, but he confirmed that Pirlo is available by saying: “He feels fine; anyway, if needed, Marchisio can play in that position too.” He also explained the reasons of a possible change of formation: “The choice to opt for a 4-3-3 formation has nothing to do with Croatia: It is part of a project and it’s at the moment the best solution. We luckily had three days at our disposal in order to hold a training camp last week; it’s not easy to change formation.”
Three points against the group leaders is Italy’s aim, Conte’s philosophy does not envisage the possibility of playing for a draw: “I’ve never started a game with a minimal aim, we always have to try and get the best. Should the match then end in a draw, we will make our assessments after the game. We’ve played 8 matches so far, we have played well in some, while others not so well. There has been a path of growth that will hopefully bring us to the European Championship. We’ve found good young players who played well in Serie A and for the U21 national side.”
After getting over the disappointing defeat to Barcelona in Champions League final, Gigi Buffon is ready for another challenge in his long career: “Croatia have a core of 10-12 players who have been playing together for a long time now, they’ve been going on playing with a certain playing style. We have a lot of players who are playing for the first time on such an important stage, therefore it’s normal that we are a bit behind them at the moment.”   ]]>