(PRIMASPORT) BOLOGNA – Roberto Mancini leads Italy in the city where he grew up as a footballer and made his Serie A debut 45 years ago. At the Dall'Ara Stadium, on Monday the 5th at 8:45 PM, the second leg of the match against Turkey will take place, a week after the large and convincing victory in Bursa. The coach, along with Barella, discussed the matter in his traditional pre-match press conference, announcing that Kean has withdrawn from the training camp because he is unwell and has not recovered. The Como striker will not be replaced. At the Stade de France, Roberto Mancini was comforted by the progress made after the misstep against Belgium. However, beware of underestimating their opponents, who suffered another heavy 3-0 defeat against Belgium. Montella's team has lost three in three games. A win against Turkey would put the Azzurri back in contention for the Nations League quarterfinals.
“"We certainly won't underestimate them," Mancini assured, "because they're an excellent team with very strong players, with enormous technical ability. It would be a huge mistake to think it's a simple match." In addition to the injured Yildiz and Çalhanoğlu, Vincenzo Montella will be without the suspended Arda Güler and Barış Yilmaz. "Turkey is going through a difficult period, but I think Montella has done a great job bringing them back to the World Cup and into League A of the Nations League. We played well in Bursa, and it's up to us to confirm our form.".
Nicolò Barella also spoke at the press conference. Second only to Gigio Donnarumma in terms of appearances (72), Nicolò is in all respects one of the senators of the group and a point of reference for the young Azzurri. A starter in Rome against Belgium, after missing the away match in Bursa, Nicolò Barella came on in the final half hour of the match against France, bringing fresh energy and even coming close to scoring the 2-1 goal. Barella is expected to start in Bologna.
“"The emerging Italy team is a team with personality," said the Inter midfielder. "The coach asked us to rediscover our enthusiasm, and I think we're succeeding, because otherwise, a match like the one against France wouldn't be a match where we'd even try to win it in the final minutes. At the 2021 European Championship, it was the group that made the difference. Here, there are many good players and young players who want to prove themselves, but in the end, the most important thing is the group.". (PRIMASPORT)