The season begins tonight for Gian Piero Ventura’s Italy with the match broadcast live at 21:00 CEST. The new international boss will make his debut on the Azzurri bench in Bari where former coach Antonio Conte also took charge of his first fixture when Italy beat the Netherlands 2-0 with goals from Immobile and De Rossi. The San Nicola Stadium will host a friendly full of intrigue as Italy face Euro 2016’s runners-up in a classic fixture of international football which has seen the two meet at the 2006 World Cup final and the Euro 2000 final both sides winning one apiece. In 37 meetings between the sides, Italy have won 18, drawn ten and lost nine with the most recent defeat coming four years ago this November with a 2-1 defeat in Parma.
Italy vs. France was also the first international fixture for the Azzurri as they met on 15 May 1910 at the Arena Civica in Milan. Italy wore white that day and they will again play in white tonight. The result was a convincing 6-2 and Lana scored the first goal in Italy’s history. France then became something of a bogey team with Italy unable to beat them on home soil for 54 years until 5 May 1962 when Altafini scored both goals during a 2-1 win in Florence. The Azzurri can count on the support of the home fans with 30,000 tickets sold in the knowledge that a positive result will be the best way to prepare for Ventura’s competitive debut on Monday 5th September away at Haifa against Israel in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
- You can buy here football tickets for the Italian National Football team here. Italy International Friendly Tickets
Italy National Team Tickets and International friendly games
Tonight’s match will also be a significant fixture as it features experimentation with VAR (Video Assistant Referees) which FIFA have decided to apply at the San Nicola in the first test of video technology with the aim of helping the IFAB to develop guidelines and implement a project which allows for better reviews of controversial incidents. The match will be an ‘off-line’ test where the video technology will communicate with the referee but without interrupting the match so that video-replays can be consulted. FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be present in the stands along with vice-secretary general Zvonomir Boban who will present the initial findings of the tests to the press along with referee Bjorn Kuipers.
Squad list and official numbers
Goalkeepers: 1 Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), 12 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), 13 Federico Marchetti (Lazio);
Defenders: 14 Luca Antonelli (Milan), 4 Davide Astori (Fiorentina), 15 Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), 19 Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), 3 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), 2 Mattia De Sciglio (Milan), 5 Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (West Ham), 25 Daniele Rugani (Juventus);
Midfieldes: 21 Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), 7 Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), 6 Antonio Candreva (Inter), 16 Daniele De Rossi (Roma), 24 Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), 18 Riccardo Montolivo (Milan), 8 Marco Parolo (Lazio), 10 Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Forwards: 20 Andrea Belotti (Torino), 17 Eder Citadin Martins (Inter), 22 Manolo Gabbiadini (Napoli), 11 Ciro Immobile (Lazio), 23 Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), 9 Graziano Pellè (Shandong Luneng).
Staff – Head Coach: Gian Piero Ventura; Assistant Coaches: Salvatore Sullo, Paolo Vanoli and Gianluca Spinelli; Secretary: Mauro Vladovich; Fitness coaches: Alessandro Innocenti and Giovanni Brignardello; Team Doctors: Enrico Castellacci and Carmine Costabile; Physiotherapists/Masseurs: Fabrizio Scalzi, Emanuele Randelli, Alfonso Casano and Pasquale Raia.
Italy’s schedule for the matches against France and Israel in September:
Thursday 1st September
21:00 ITALY vs. FRANCE FRIENDLY MATCH
At the end of the match, there will be a press meeting and players will return to the hotel for dinner
Friday 2nd September
17:30 Training at the Stadio San Nicola (first 20’ open to press)
Saturday 3rd September
10:30 Training at the Stadio San Nicola (first 20’ open to press)
followed by meeting with the press
17:00 Training at the Stadio San Nicola (closed)
Sunday 4th September
10:00 Training at the Stadio San Nicola (closed)
15:15 Chartered flight from Bari to Tel Aviv departs
19:05 (18:05 CEST) Chartered flight arrives in Tel Aviv and squad transfer by bus to Haifa (1h 20mins)
20:45 (19:45 CEST) Pitch inspection at the S. Hofer Stadium and press conference with head coach and one player
Followed by transfer to hotel
Monday 5th September
21:45 (20:45 CEST) 2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFYING MATCH: ISRAEL vs. ITALY
Followed by meeting with the press and transfer to hotel
Tuesday 6th September
12:30 (11:30 CEST) Chartered flight leaves Tel Aviv for Milan Malpensa via Rome Fiumincino
Photo: figc.it