Following their friendly defeat to the Netherlands almost 20 days ago, the Under-18 National Team are now preparing to face Hungary on 17 April. The 20-man Azzurrini squad will gather on Sunday 14 April in Rome before then leaving for Budapest one day later.

This will be the Under-18s penultimate test, who will also face Austria on 8 May: "We’ve reached the end of the season," said Coach Franceschini. "I can see how much the lads have improved in terms of being aware of their own ability. These tests are formative because they determine their growth of character. We’ll be facing a strong side in Budapest, and as you know, the biggest difficulties are the ones that help you grow the most."

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Federico Brancolini (Fiorentina), Matteo Soncin (Milan);
Defenders: Leonardo Raggio (Genoa), Nicolò Armini (Lazio), Edoardo Pierozzi (Fiorentina), Giorgio Brogni (Atalanta), Francesco Semeraro (Roma), Fabio Ponsi (Fiorentina), Michael Ntube (Inter);
Midfielders: Emmanuel Gyabuaa (Atalanta), Giuseppe Leone (Juventus), Davide Ghislandi (Atalanta), Luca Belardinelli (Empoli), Daniel Maldini (Milan), Alessandro Sala (Milan), Nicolò Pierozzi (Fiorentina), Alessandro Cortinovis (Atalanta);
Forwards: Gianmarco Cangiano (Roma), Lorenzo Sgarbi (Napoli), Andrea Mattioli (Sassuolo).