Although Napoli star Eljif Elmas will serve a one-match ban against Italy, Goran Pandev believes that his North Macedonia side will benefit from the absences of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
Chiellini may not be fit to play 90 minutes against North Macedonia tomorrow, while Bonucci is out of action with a calf injury and could only recover for the potential final.
“They’ve been playing together for many years, they know each other well and it will be a big advantage for us to face Italy without them. However, like Alessandro Bastoni, he has a great career ahead,” Pandev told La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.
The Parma striker has retired from international football so he won’t play tomorrow. Elmas is suspended while Ilija Nestorovski has been snubbed from the team due to a lack of playing time with Udinese.
“I am sorry for him, I know how much he wanted it,” Pandev said.
“Ilija has given so much to North Macedonia, he could have joined the group. More respect is needed. What would have changed in having one or two extra players? He has the experience and knows Italian defenders well.”
Pandev played with Mario Balotelli at Inter and he doesn’t seem surprised to see his former teammate out of the Azzurri squad.
“Mancini knows him well, I can’t say if he was useful or not. I can say that North Macedonia needed Nestorovski, while Italy have ten solid strikers, one or two more don’t make a difference.”
How about Ciro Immobile? How does he explain his struggles with La Nazionale?
“It’s not easy. Sarri’s Lazio play for him, so he may feel a bit of pressure with the national team. However, he is useful for Mancini’s playing style. Maybe he just needs to score two or three goals in a row….”
Italy or North Macedonia will face the winner of Portugal-Turkey: “Turkey are a great team, but I think Portugal will qualify even if they’ll feel more pressure,” noted Pandev.
“Cristiano Ronaldo? I used to be a ballboy at Inter when Ronaldo – the phenomenon – was there. Sometimes I trained with him when they called me to the senior team from Primavera. He’s been the best striker of the last 30 years, with all the respect due to Cristiano, one who lives for the goal and helps his teams by scoring crucial goals.”