National Team: first meeting with Saint Kitts and Nevis tomorrow

The San Marino National Team is ready to return to the pitch and will do so tomorrow, when they play the first of two official friendlies against Saint Kitts and Nevis – the Caribbean side currently ranked 149th in the FIFA Ranking. The evening fixture, with kick-off at 20:45, will mark Roberto Cevoli’s debut on the San Marino bench, the eighth Head Coach in the history of the Titano national side. As with the Head Coach, the match with Saint Kitts and Nevis could also bring a first international appearance for several players. Besides goalkeepers Amici and Colombo, Contadini, Pasolini, Sensoli and Valentini – should they be involved from the start or come on during the game – would all make their senior debut in front of their home crowd, in an unprecedented fixture. At the press conference, Roberto Cevoli stressed that "ever since the day I was appointed Head Coach of the San Marino National Team I’ve been waiting for this moment. Your first match always comes with a lot of emotions, and it’s no different for me. I expect to see on the pitch what we have prepared in these few training sessions we’ve had: the lads have shown incredible commitment and that gives me great confidence going into tomorrow’s match. I believe we can put in a good performance". The Head Coach has a clear objective: "We have to focus on values, that’s the first thing I told the players. Edoardo spoke about pride and that is perhaps the first thing we must show on the pitch: we represent a Nation and we must always keep that firmly in mind. We have prepared a match with the aim of being positive and proactive on the pitch, and the players have responded well. They are ready and fired up; it will be a good game". Alongside him was Edoardo Colombo, who is in line for his first senior cap and a starting place in goal for San Marino. The 23-year-old Rimini goalkeeper did not hide his "huge happiness and pride. This is a squad made up of great lads and great men, who have welcomed me very warmly – even though I already knew many of them. I can’t wait to play and, from now on, to have the chance to help the team". From a psychological point of view, for him – who has already represented San Marino at youth level – not much changes, he assures: "Fortunately, I have the kind of personality that allows me to approach matches of this magnitude in the same way I did at international youth level. I will take to the pitch with the same calmness I have had in recent years and that I always have when I’m called upon to play. In short, with the same mentality that we are all trying to develop in this new journey: namely, trying to approach every game one by one, regardless of who our opponents are". Here is the list of the 23 players called up by Head Coach Roberto Cevoli for tomorrow’s match against Saint Kitts and Nevis:

No.	PLAYER	POSITION	DATE OF BIRTH	CLUB	CAPS	G
1	AMICI Pietro	GK	27/01/2004	Fossombrone	-	-
18	COLOMBO Edoardo	GK	24/01/2001	Rimini	-	-
11	BATTISTINI Manuel	DEF	22/07/1994	Virtus	49	-
5	CEVOLI Michele	DEF	22/07/1998	Juvenes-Dogana	19	-
24	CONTADINI Andrea	DEF	18/08/2002	Pietracuta.	-	-
2	D'ADDARIO Alessandro	DEF	09/09/1997	Cosmos	29	-
16	FABBRI Filippo	DEF	07/01/2002	Olbia	23	1
13	FRANCIOSI Simone	DEF	03/09/2001	Pietracuta.	10	1
23	GRANDONI Andrea	DEF	23/03/1997	La Fiorita	36	-
15	PASOLINI Marco	DEF	26/04/2003	Pietracuta	-	-
6	ROSSI Dante Carlos	DEF	12/07/1987	Tropical Coriano	30	-
3	TOSI Alessandro	DEF	28/04/2001	Victor San Marino	13	-
14	VALENTINI Giacomo	DEF	26/06/2001	Juvenes-Dogana	-	-
4	CAPICCHIONI Lorenzo	MID	19/01/2002	Sammaurese	10	-
17	GOLINUCCI Alessandro	MID	10/10/1994	Virtus	47	1
8	GOLINUCCI Enrico	MID	16/07/1991	Folgore	41	-
21	LAZZARI Lorenzo	MID	06/06/2003	Victor San Marino	11	1
22	MULARONI Marcello	MID	08/09/1998	Cosmos	41	-
10	BERARDI Filippo	FWD	18/05/1997	Cosmos	26	2
9	NANNI Nicola	FWD	02/05/2000	Olbia	34	1
19	PANCOTTI Samuel	FWD	31/10/2000	Folgore	3	-
20	SENSOLI Nicko	FWD	14/06/2005	Sangiuliano City	-	-
7	VITAIOLI Matteo	FWD	27/10/1989	a Fiorita	90	1

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