Italy Coach Giampiero Ventura hinted he’ll start Atalanta star Andrea Conti and test the 4-2-4 formation against Uruguay and Liechtenstein.
The Azzurri beat San Marino 8-0 in a friendly earlier this week using an experimental line-up, as Gianluca Lapadula bagged a hat-trick.
They will face Uruguay in a friendly in Nice on Wednesday and host Liechtenstein in Udine on June 11.
Italy Coach Giampiero Ventura hinted he’ll start Atalanta star Andrea Conti and test the 4-2-4 formation against Uruguay and Liechtenstein.
The Azzurri beat San Marino 8-0 in a friendly earlier this week using an experimental line-up, as Gianluca Lapadula bagged a hat-trick.
They will face Uruguay in a friendly in Nice on Wednesday and host Liechtenstein in Udine on June 11.
“This is a big opportunity to verify some technical and tactical issues, because so far we’ve only been able to try the 4-2-4 system against Liechtenstein and San Marino,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“It’s rare that we get this sort of chance and we need to make the most of it. Besides, by beating Uruguay, we could take some steps forward in the FIFA world ranking. That may well prove to be important for the draw if we need a play-off to enter the World Cup.
“We are also performing a series of physical tests to get an idea of how the players are doing at the end of the season. We’ll compare and evaluate these over time to help better prepare for the big event next summer.”
The European Under-21 Championship runs from June 16-30 and several of the senior Italy players could be called over for that tournament.
“Conti could certainly make his debut against Uruguay,” continued Ventura after the 23-year-old Atalanta wing-back scored eight goals with four assists in 33 Serie A games.
“I’ll verify everyone’s fitness levels before deciding which players I can give to Gigi Di Biagio to start preparing for the Euros.
“I don’t know if Gianluigi Donnarumma will go with Di Biagio or not. I also don’t want to know anything about transfer speculation or contractual situations. When on international duty, they have to leave everything at the gates when they come in and focus solely on playing for Italy.
“If the player is unable to do that by themselves, then it’s our job to help him achieve that break.”