One last push before the end of the season. In five days in Athens, Italy will be in qualifying action once again for Euro 2020. Greece are up first before Bosnia and Herzegovina are the opponents in Turin as the Azzurri look to qualify and also climb up the ranking.

Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri was optimistic at the press conference at Coverciano: "All of those in the national team have to give everything, showing humility and a will to learn. This is a young group, we’re a team that always wants to attack and win. We still have five days to work and I have very positive feelings about the match in Athens."

After an excellent season in the Premier League, Emerson is a candidate to play a key role for Italy. "I think before my injury at Roma, I had a great season. Now, I’m back to being the player who I was before but I still need to improve further but I’m happy with what I’ve done. I need to show my value and work hard." 

The importance of the games coming up was also on Jorginho’s mind as he spoke at the press conference. "The Greece match on Saturday in Athens will be difficult," he began by saying. "They’re a team who move the ball and possession has been in their favour in recent games. Because of this, we have to run and go out there determined to win. To get an away win would be nice and important for us."

This morning, the AIC President Damiano Tommasi met the team as the new FIGC-AIC concerning relationships for all the teams was presented.

Tomorrow, the Auditorium at Coverciano will host a concert organised by the Associazione Nazionale Insigniti dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in collaboration with the FIGC and Polizia di Stato at 11:15 CEST.

The tenor Francesco Grollo accompanied by the Polizia di Stato band will perform the national anthem with readings and explanations from an expert on the Risorgimento, Prof Michele D’Andrea.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta); Salvatore Sirigu (Torino), Antonio Mirante (Roma);

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Armando Izzo (Torino), Gianluca Mancini (Atalanta), Alessio Romagnoli (Milan), Leonardo Spinazzola (Juventus);

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Cagliari), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Frello Filho Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Sassuolo), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma);

Forwards: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Vincenzo Grifo (Friburgo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Kean (Juventus), Leonardo Pavoletti (Cagliari), Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria).

Staff – Head Coach: Roberto Mancini; National Team Coordintaor: Gabriele Oriali; Assistant Coaches: Alberico Evani, Attilio Lombardo, Giulio Nuciari, Fausto Salsano; Fitness coaches: Claudio Donatelli and Andrea Scanavino; Goalkeeping coach: Massimo Battara; Match Analyst: Antonio Gagliardi; Doctors: Andrea Ferretti and Carmine Costabile; Physiotherapist: Maurizio Fagorzi, Emanuele Randelli, Fabrizio Scalzi, Luca Lascialfari, Fabio Sannino; Hosteopath: Walter Marinelli; Nutritionist: Matteo Pincella.

Squad schedule and media commitments

Monday 3 June

13:30 Press conference

17:00 Training (first 15 minutes open to accredited press)

Tuesday 4 June

11:30 Concert – “Inno svelato raccontato agli Azzurri” (open to accredited press).

13:30 Press conference (players)

17:00 Training (first 15 minutes open to accredited press)

Wednesday 5 June

10:00 Training (closed door)

13:30 Press conference (players)

18:30 Training (first 15 minutes open to accredited press)

Thursday 6 June

10:00 Training (closed door)

13:30 Press conference (players)

18:30 Training (closed door)

Friday 7 June

09:00 Transfer to Florence airport

10:00 Flight from Florence to Athens

13:00 l.t.* Arrival and transfer to hotel

17:30 l.t. Press conference MD-1 c/o ‘OACA Spyros Louis Stadium’

18:00 l.t. Training MD-1 c/o ‘OACA Spyros Louis Stadium’ (first 15 minutes open to accredited press)

Saturday 8 June

21:45 l.t. MD3 Greece–Italy - ’Spyros Louis Stadium’

Sunday 9 June

11:00 l.t. Training (closed door)

15:45 l.t. Airport transfer

17:00 l.t. Flight from Athens to Turin

19:00 Arrival and transfer to the hotel

Monday 10 June

17:30 Press conference MD-1 c/o “Juventus Stadium”

18:00 Training MD-1 c/o “Juventus Stadium” (first 15 minutes open to accredited press)

Tuesday 11 June

20:45 MD4 Italy–Bosnia Herzegovina - “Juventus Stadium”