Italy U21 Eyes European Championship: Baldini Calls Up 4 New Players

With 180 minutes remaining in the 2027 European Championship qualifiers, the Italy U21 team is on the cusp of securing its place in the tournament held in Albania and Serbia. The Azzurrini are in the final stretch, needing to overcome a three-point deficit to top the group, currently held by a perfect-record Poland. Italy trails with 21 points from 7 wins, their sole loss being a 2-1 defeat to Poland on November 14th.

Coach Baldini's squad will gather at the CPO of Tirrenia on Monday, the 21st, staying until Wednesday, the 30th, before departing for Yerevan. Their crucial match against Armenia, currently last in the group with no points, is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, at 6:30 PM (8:30 PM local time). The final group game, potentially a decisive showdown with Poland, will take place on Monday, October 5th, at 6:15 PM at the Adriatico stadium in Pescara. The group winner qualifies directly for the Euros, as does the best second-placed team across all nine groups. Italy remains firmly in contention for at least a playoff spot.

Pre-Qualifying Friendlies Against Empoli and Spezia Primavera

A ten-day training camp precedes the team's travel to Armenia. During this period, Baldini's players will participate in friendly matches against the Primavera teams of Empoli on Thursday, September 24th, and Spezia on Sunday, September 27th. These games will allow the coach to assess his 25-player squad, which includes many players who were part of the senior national team setup in June. Four players will be making their U21 debut: Matteo Cichella, Mattia Liberali, Emanuele Lulli, and Luca Reggiani. While the latter two, the Roma winger and the Frosinone midfielder, have represented Italy in youth categories before (last appearing for U19 and U20 respectively), this marks their first call-up to the U21 squad. Michael Kayode is unavailable, expected to be called up by Roberto Mancini for the senior national team's Nations League fixtures.

Italy U21 Squad List

Goalkeepers: Giovanni Daffara (Parma), Diego Mascardi (Torino), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone).

Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Monchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Torino), Costantino Favasuli (Napoli), Niccolò Fortini (Torino), Emanuele Lulli (Roma), Brando Moruzzi (Avellino), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund).

Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cremonese), Matteo Cichella (Frosinone), Giacomo Faticanti (Avellino), Mattia Liberali (Como), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma).

Forwards: Francesco Camarda (Milan), Luigi Cherubini (Benevento), Alphadjo Cisse (Milan), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Luca Koleosho (Paris FC), Antonio Raimondo (Frosinone).