Italy Under-19 squad bring in Camarda to defend European title

Italy begin the defence of their Under-19 European Championship title by naming the long-list for the tournament, including Francesco Camarda and Simone Pafundi.

The Azzurri won the competition last year in Malta, beating Portugal in the Final thanks to a goal from Fiorentina full-back Michael Kayode.

Alberto Bollini was the coach then, but the man in charge now is former Chievo, Lazio and Manchester City striker Bernardo Corradi.

He named a 27-man squad, which will be whittled down to 20 for the competition, which will be played in Northern Ireland from July 15 to 28.

The semi-finalists also qualify for the Under-20 World Cup in Chile in 2025.

Italy are in a group with Norway, Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

Milan striker Camarda, who won the European Under-17 Championship with Italy last month, is promoted to the Under-19 level, while former Udinese trequartista Pafundi returns after playing for the Under-20 side.

Italy Under-19 team

Goalkeepers: Francesco Di Bartolo Zuccarello (Lommel), Federico Magro (Lazio), Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma)

Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Cristian Chiarodia (Borussia Monchengladbach), Christian Corradi (Hellas Verona), Giovanni Leoni (Sampdoria), Vittorio Magni (Milan), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus)

Midfielders: Aaron Ciammaglichella (Torino), Luca Di Maggio (Inter), Jonas Harder (Fiorentina), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Fabio Parravicini (Genoa), Marco Romano (Genoa), Jacopo Sardo (Lazio), Kevin Zeroli (Milan)

Strikers: Lorenzo Anghelè (Juventus), Alphadjo Cissé (Hellas Verona), Tommaso Ebone (Bologna), Seydou Fini (Standard Liege), Giulio Misitano (Roma), Diego Sia (Milan), Simone Pafundi (Lausanne), Francesco Camarda (Milan).