Marco Verratti accompanied national team coach Roberto Mancini at the pre-match press conference in Rome ahead of Thursday evening’s Euro 2024 qualifier against England in Naples.
Verratti will captain the Azzurri side that will take on Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Paris Saint-Germain veteran is excited by the prospect of playing in Naples, particularly at a time where Napoli continue to exceed expectations both in Serie A and in Europe.
Speaking to the media, Verratti noted that: “Naples is a warm city and we are very happy to play here. It’s an important match and we have to show that we are able to deliver on what we have prepared.”
The Azzurri will be without the talismanic Ciro Immobile, who was left out of the squad due to an injury he sustained with Lazio a few weeks ago.
Verratti and Immobile have a good working relationship following the stint they spent together with Pescara in 2011-12.
On his former teammate, Verratti said: “Ciro is unfortunately injured, but I’m sure he’ll be watching us. This is the right moment to come and play in Naples, a team that is doing very well in Italy and in Europe.”
The 30-year-old also spoke of Italy’s recent endeavours, adding that he is confident that they will return to glory on the world stage after missing out on World Cup qualification last year.
“It’s a great national team,” he said. “And we’re doing well, despite the World Cup. That’s football and in Europe it’s tough to qualify. The journey we’ve been on with the coach has been important. Now let’s start a new path. There is enthusiasm and we can achieve great results. We will be ready.”
Verratti also stoked transfer speculation with his comments, hinting at the possibility of returning to Italy at some point before the end of his career.
He added: “I would always like and want to win, but it’s not always possible. I really want to grow and I want to play for a long time and win. Will I go back to Italy? We’ll see in the future.”
Verratti also gave words of encouragement to 17-year-old forward Simone Pafundi, who was included in Mancini’s squad despite only having three Serie A appearances to his name with Udinese.
“I like him a lot,” Verratti said. “He’s a player who knows football. Even if he doesn’t play much for his club, he has great quality. I already knew him, but looking closely, he amazed me. If he continues like this, he can go far.”
Kick off against England will be at 19.45 GMT on Thursday evening.