Alberto Aquilani only had a brief run-out in Belgrade, but “of course” aims to play 90 minutes against Northern Ireland.

“Of course I hope to start in Pescara on Tuesday, but the important thing is to focus on the group,” said the Milan midfielder after Italy's 1-1 draw with Serbia.

“I want to play more, but so does everyone and it's not an issue. I am happy to wait for my chance.

“Once again we had a good result and have been on the right path for a long while now.

“These are tough games in difficult atmospheres, but we maintained our unbeaten run and it all builds up for the future. I think we had a good match and the point is a valuable one.”

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