Gigi Di Biagio assures Italy “will play to win” in tomorrow’s European Under-21 Championship play-off with Slovakia.
The first leg ended 1-1 away from home, so a goalless draw at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia on Tuesday would be enough to qualify on away goals.
Gigi Di Biagio assures Italy “will play to win” in tomorrow’s European Under-21 Championship play-off with Slovakia.
The first leg ended 1-1 away from home, so a goalless draw at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia on Tuesday would be enough to qualify on away goals.
“We have the utmost respect for our opponents, but we have quality players and will try to make the most of them, more so than we did in the first leg,” said Coach Di Biagio in a Press conference.
“We will not step on to the field looking for a 0-0. We will play to win and that means converting our scoring opportunities and having more patience in possession.
“I think the first game made us a little scared, because we were expected to win comfortably and instead risked defeat at the end. That 1-1 result does not give us a sense of security and I do not consider this to be a simple task.”
Di Biagio remained tight-lipped on his starting XI, though Sassuolo striker Domenico Berardi will start in his club’s home stadium.
“All I can say is that everyone is available. Some need more time to recover, but by tomorrow that won’t be an issue.
“I have many cards to play and substitutions can be decisive. I am very fired up, just like the players. We have acknowledged the mistakes we made in Slovakia and want to take the game to our opponents from the get-go. We’ve got to be aggressive straight away.”
Picture credit: figc.it