North Macedonia , you again. Tonight, at 8.45pm at the Olimpico in Rome, Elmas and his teammates still stand between Italy and qualifying for a major competition. In March 2022 the defeat against the Balkans cost the Azzurri the World Cup, this time a European Championship is up for grabs , even if the situation is different.
The one almost two years ago was an inside-out challenge, while in this case Spalletti's men still have a match to play. On Monday, in fact, they will face Ukraine away, and the specific weight of this evening's match is measured precisely in relation to the next match. By winning today, a draw on Monday would be enough for Italy to qualify for Germany 2024 . With a draw or a defeat against North Macedonia, however, the Azzurri would be forced to go to Ukraine to win.
This is why today's match is anything but irrelevant. For the assault on the three points, Spalletti seems intent on relying - in the role of center forward - on one of his "Neapolitan" protégés, Giacomo Raspadori. Berardi and Chiesa should orbit around him. In midfield, with Barella and Bonaventura, we should see Jorginho again, who since that "unfortunate" match in March '22 has only taken the field five times with the national team, and never with the current coach.
(Unioneonline/L.Ne.)