After departing from Tel Aviv with three points in the bag, Italy Women have arrived in Tbilisi, where tomorrow at 14:15 CEST they’ll face Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in their second EURO 2021 qualifying game.

With two weeks to go until the start of the league season, the girls are still not fully up to speed. At this stage of the season, Head Coach Milena Bertolini knows that maximum concentration levels and commitment are needed in order to pick up another win. The hope is that Italy can avoid dropping off in the closing moments like they did against Israel, something which could have jeopardised the result. On paper, the Azzurre will be favourites against a side who are ranked 112th in the world and suffered a heavy 7-1 defeat to Bosnia last Friday.
“Football teaches you that the moment you approach the game in the wrong manner and underestimate the opposition, you will run into problems,” warned Milena Bertolini. “I didn’t like our approach to the Israel game and the fact that the hunger that has distinguished us over the past two years was missing. I did, however, like the team’s reaction and the girls’ awareness regarding their strengths.”

The final training session this afternoon at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium will help dispel any doubts the Head Coach might have about her starting eleven: “After the match in Isreal, the girls were slightly tired. The humidity and the trip to Georgia didn’t help. Now, they’ve recovered and those who were suffering from fatigue are doing better.” After Arianna Caruso’s debut in Tel Aviv, a few other upcoming youngsters could earn a spot in the team: “We’ll see tomorrow. For the young players, it’s already very important for them to be here, to be able to see how we go about things and what the standards of the senior National Team are from both a physical and mental aspect.”

National Team schedule

Monday 2 September
16:15 – Training session at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (first 15 minutes open to the media)

Tuesday 3 September
16:15 - (14.15 CEST) GEORGIA VS. ITALY
Media commitments to follow

Wednesday 4 September
05:05 – Arrival in Italy

Notes: Israele CEST+1 / Georgia CEST +2