The Azzurrini beat Lega Pro side Racing Club 6-0 this afternoon. The first half ended 1-0 to Di Biagio’s boys thanks to Cataldi’s effort, whilst Federico Ricci and braces from Alberto Grassi and Leonardo Morosini eventually made it 6-0 to Italy. “These practice matches are useful to implement what we try in training on the pitch,” commented Di Biagio, “I’m pleased with how the boys moved and how they worked during this training camp. We head to Lithuania looking for the three points and to qualify for the finals. In addition, we want to carry on with our development, regardless of the final score between the Republic of Ireland and Serbia.” Should Italy draw or win with Lithuania on Tuesday, the Azzurrini will be one of the teams with a place at the 2017 U21 European Championship: “Qualification will depend on us,” reiterated the Azzurrini coach. “It will depend on our will to fight for every ball. The attitude will make a difference, we will try to impose our playing style and approach this game in the right way.”
 
Final fixtures in Group 2
7th October: Republic of Ireland vs. Serbia
7th October: Lithuania vs. Slovenia
11th October: Lithuania vs. ITALY
11th October: Serbia vs. Slovenia Group 2 table: ITALY 23 points, Serbia 17, Slovenia 15, Republic of Ireland 12, Lithuania 6, Andorra 3.
Squad list
Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Benevento), Pierluigi Gollini (Aston Villa), Alex Meret (Spal);
Defenders: Antonio Barreca (Torino), Davide Biraschi (Genoa), Davide Calabria (Milan), Mattia Caldara (Atalanta), Andrea Conti (Atalanta), Alex Ferrari (Bologna), Nicola Murru (Cagliari), Michele Somma (Brescia);
Midfielders: Marco Benassi (Torino), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Alberto Grassi (Atalanta), Luca Mazzitelli (Sassuolo), Roberto Gagliardini (Atalanta) Lorenzo Pellegrini (Sassuolo), Valerio Verre (Pescara);
Forwards: Alberto Cerri (Spal), Federico Di Francesco (Bologna), Luca Garritano (Cesena), Leonardo Morosini (Brescia), Andrea Petagna (Atalanta), Federico Ricci (Sassuolo), Valerio Lorenzo Rosseti (Lugano).
Staff – Head of Delegation: Giancarlo Antognoni; Accompanying Director: Vincenzo Marinelli; Head Coach: Luigi Di Biagio; Assistant Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Secretary: Emiliano Cozzi; Goalkeeping Coach: Antonio Chimenti; Fitness Coach: Vito Azzone; Team Doctors: Angelo De Carli and Luca Gatteschi; Physiotherapists: Guido Mauro Ferrini and Maurizio Fagorzi; Kitmen: Claudio Gagliardi and Andrea Russo.
Italy U-21s’ schedule
Thursday 6th October
15:30 – friendly match: Italy U-21s vs. Racing Roma (open to press)
Meeting with press (coach) at full-time Friday 7th October
16:30 – training (closed)
Saturday 8th October
10:00 – training (closed)
16:30 – training (closed)
Sunday 9th October
09:00 – training (closed)
12:50 – departure on chartered flight from Rome to Kaunas
17:00 l.t. – arrival in Kaunas and transfer to hotel.
Monday 10th October
14:00 – meeting with press (coach)
18:00 – training at the “Darius & Girenas Stadium” – Kaunas (first 15′ open to press)
Tuesday 11th October
18:00 l.t.  LITHUANIA – ITALY “Darius & Girenas Stadium”  – Kaunas
Meeting with press at full-time
 
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