National team: aiming for consistency in first-ever meeting with Bangladesh

Roberto Cevoli’s National Team will be playing in front of their home crowd for the third match in a row, following March’s official friendlies against the Faroe Islands and Andorra. Once again this will be an official (FIFA) friendly. The difference this time lies in the origin of the opponents, not European but Asian: Bangladesh. It will be an absolute first for the Titani, who are firmly determined to build on the foundations laid in their most recent outings. This was precisely the main topic addressed by head coach Cevoli and forward Filippo Berardi in the pre-match press conference. “From this match I’m expecting a degree of consistency in terms of performance,” begins the Biancazzurri head coach. “Lately we have been doing well, so I would like us to continue along that path tomorrow and also next week against Azerbaijan. The result also matters, of course, but what interests me most is the performance. This group is on a growth path and we are working to take further steps forward.”

Filippo Berardi shares exactly the same view: “We are coming off two positive matches and our goal is to give continuity to those displays. There is a lot of curiosity about facing an opponent that is completely new to us, like Bangladesh. There will certainly be some new aspects. But for us, tomorrow will be a football match to be approached exactly like all the others, with maximum concentration and by giving our very best. We are really eager to do well.”

The pitch will reveal exactly what the characteristics of this Bangladesh side are, although, as you would expect, San Marino’s staff and players already have more than an idea about the Bengal Tigers, having analysed their matches on video. “We have studied our opponents and seen that they are very good and quick on the counter-attack, ” Cevoli points out. “However, they have changed coach very recently and so there will certainly be some new elements in the way they approach matches. We will have to be ready for that as well. After all, we too in recent years have tried to change our approach. Step by step we are trying to forge a more proactive, less defensive mentality. Tomorrow’s match will be another important stage on this journey.”

The first-ever San Marino v Bangladesh fixture will be played tomorrow at 19:00 and, as announced some time ago, the away section is completely sold out. After that, the Titani will fly to Hungary to take on Azerbaijan – again in an official FIFA friendly – on Tuesday 9 June at 20:00.

These are the twenty-seven players preliminarily called up by Roberto Cevoli for tomorrow’s match, which will be broadcast live on Titani.tv radio: