By Anna Italia
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Italian Soccer Serie A

Northern Ireland – Italy

Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini avoiding the fear factor during the press conference on the eve of the 2021 FIFA World Cup against Northern Ireland on Monday 15 November at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland at 20:45.

Mancini knows that this is  – by now – the more important game because it means the direct qualification for the World Cup in Qatar or just facing the playoffs.

Mancini saying, “We’re feeling the pressure a little bit.  We know that it’s a really important game but we need to play without fear, which is what happened after we conceded against Switzerland. Three years ago, it would have been unthinkable to witness what this team has done. It’s only normal that, on any path, there are tricky times and tomorrow will certainly fall under that bracket. But the boys mustn’t forget what they’ve done and just need to play with calmness. It would be a repeat exam in March [in the playoffs] but we want to qualify now.”

 

👉 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group C, Italy leading with 15 points (after Matchday 7)

group c standing	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Goal difference	Points
🇮🇹 Italy	7	4	3	0	13	2	11	15
🇨🇭 Switzerland	7	4	3	0	11	2	9	15
Northern Ireland	7	2	2	3	6	7	-1	8
🇧🇬 Bulgaria	7	2	2	3	6	10	-4	8
🇱🇹 Lithuania	8	1	0	7	4	19	-15	3

The Azzurri, who trained this evening at Windsor Park, have a +2 goal difference as it stands over Switzerland and know that a win tomorrow is vital to avoid being overtaken – as well as preferably scoring as many goals as possible. It’ll be anything other than simple considering that, in their three home games in qualifying, Northern Ireland haven’t conceded a single goal. What’s more, Italy have never won in Belfast and lost in the Northern Irish capital in 1958, which cost the Azzurri qualification for the World Cup in Sweden. “We need to try to win and it won’t be easy,” Mancini declared. “If we score a lot of goals, we’ll be happier and we’ll have more chances to qualify. They have conceded very little at home, defend in numbers and do so very well. We’ll need to play with tempo and try to keep the ball on the deck.”

Tomorrow too, Mancini will have to make do with affair few notable absentees. As it was against Switzerland, Italy are without European champions in Chiellini, Spinazzola, Verratti and Immobile, while, in the last 48 hours, Calabria, Bastoni, Biraghi and Sirigu have all left the camp. There will likely be the odd change tomorrow night but Barella is available, as advertised by Mancini: “He’s fit and is doing better than he was against Switzerland.” He may call upon Tonali, who “has grown a lot and might start.” He was coy when asked who would be starting up front: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a false 9 or a proper striker, what matters is mentality.”

Lorenzo Bonucci will, once again, captain the side in the absence of Chiellini and will play his 114th game for Italy, reaching the tally of his long-term centre-back partner in sixth in the all-time appearance list for the Azzurri. His hope is to celebrate a win and qualification to the World Cup: “It will need to be the Italy that we say in qualifying for the Euros, at the Euros and in the first matches in World Cup qualifying,” he said. “We’ll need to bring home a big result, forgetting the recent past. Being the reigning champions of Europe doesn’t give us the right to win without first playing, so we need to put those thoughts and the draw with Switzerland aside. We just have to look ahead and concentrate on the game that we need to play. I’m sure that we’ll put in a great performance.”

After Jorginho’s penalty miss against Switzerland (his third consecutive missed spot-kick), Bonucci could take over the duty, but nothing is decided: “He’s taken a lot of penalties, important ones too. It was a mistake that can happen to anybody and I won’t take any penalties tomorrow evening. We’ll make a decision later.”

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Italy team departing to Belfast, Northern Ireland on Sunday 14 November 2021

Photo via twitter.com/Azzurri_En

Italy Head Coach Roberto Mancini…. to win, that’s all that matters and grab the direct qualification.

Photo via twitter.com/Azzurri_En

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma …. must survive the pressure and become an Iron Wall to protect Italy.

Photo via twitter.com/Azzurri_En

🏆👉Northern Ireland vs Italy 🇮🇹, Match Officials

🗓️Monday 15 November 2021
🏟️National Football Stadium at Windsor Park
⏲️20:45

🙍‍♂️Referee: Istvan Kovacs
🚩Assistants: Vasile Marinescu and Ovidiu Artene
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic https://t.co/1f2OZXZVQ2@SerieA_EN pic.twitter.com/OnXwbbgkfD

— Anna Italia (@ItalianSerieA) November 15, 2021

🇮🇹 👉 Italian Squad List

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli);

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Lyon), Gian Marco Ferrari (Sassuolo), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Tommaso Pobega (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Milan);

Attackers: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo).

 

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier
Group C

Northern Ireland – Italy
Monday 15 November 2021
National Football Stadium at Windsor Park
Belfast, Northern Ireland

20:45

Referee: Istvan Kovacs
Assistant Referee 1: Vasile Marinescu (ROU)
Assistant Referee 2: Ovidiu Artene (ROU)
Fourth Official: Horațiu Feșnic (ROU)
VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)
AVAR: Mike Pickel (GER)
Referee Assessor: Robert Sedlacek (AUT)