Futsal: U19 National Team in Gibraltar, debut against hosts tomorrow

Only the final details remain. Then it will be time for the Under-19 futsal National Team to face the Preliminary Round of qualifying for Euro 2023. For the first time in three editions, the event will take place outside San Marino. Head Coach Matteo Selva and his players landed in Gibraltar yesterday, the venue for the mini-tournament of Group B, the three-team group. Today the Official Training Session at 17:00, and tomorrow the opener against the hosts at 19:00. Exactly 24 hours later will come the clash with Montenegro. “Yesterday’s journey was quite demanding, so this morning we tried to recharge our batteries mentally,” explained the Head Coach, at his second European campaign with the Under-19 National Team. “This afternoon we had an hour’s training with the aim of arriving tomorrow in the best possible condition. We went over our set plays and fine-tuned the last details ahead of the opener. It was a light physical session but at the same time also a mental recharge. In any case, I see the boys calm and at the same time focused, fully switched on. They are coming off the experience in Croatia, which I consider to have been extremely useful. They realised what it means to play futsal at international level, but also to experience an away trip and a training camp. For many of them it was the first time.” In theory, the level of difficulty will increase as they go. First Gibraltar and then Montenegro, who on paper are the favourites to top the group. “I don’t mind this sequence,” continued Matteo Selva. “The pitch will deliver its verdict, but on paper Gibraltar are more within our reach than Montenegro, and I am pleased to be facing the hosts with the freshness that comes with the opening game. Clearly, the following day we will also have to deal with the challenge of a short recovery time, while Montenegro will come into it rested. My staff and I have studied Gibraltar through footage that we intend to use tomorrow for a short video session with the boys. Montenegro, on the other hand, we will face more or less blind. They will be a bit of an unknown quantity for us. However, over these days I have watched my players and I have seen them motivated and driven by a positive, healthy tension. From that point of view, I am relaxed. On the pitch they will have to give everything, and I am certain they will answer the call.”

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