San Marino-Bosnia and Herzegovina: Cevoli and Gabriel Capicchioni speak

Young forward Gabriel Capicchioni of Virtus joined Head Coach Roberto Cevoli in today’s pre-match press conference. Tomorrow San Marino will face Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fifth of eight fixtures that will complete the group in the Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Around 3,000 fans are expected at the San Marino Stadium for the 20:45 kick-off – almost two thirds of them backing Barbarez’s side, filling every available seat in the South Stand.

“We go into this important fixture knowing that we have prepared well and with great intensity, both tactically and physically,” began Head Coach Roberto Cevoli in the press conference. “In this regard, being able to work almost daily with a large group of players has certainly helped. It will be interesting to see whether this can bring immediate benefits, bearing in mind that the time of year in which this match falls is generally the most complicated for us. We have to build on the excellent performance we produced in Zenica three months ago, when we came very close to getting a positive result away from home. However, compared to that game we will be without some key players for this team, such as Lazzari and the Benvenuti twins. In particular, Tommaso is facing a rather lengthy spell on the sidelines: we hope he will be back on the pitch soon and we would like to take this opportunity to wish him a speedy recovery.”

Showing no signs of nerves in his first press conference on the eve of a World Cup qualifier, Gabriel Capicchioni – who turned 19 in May – admitted he is “feeling extremely positive emotions ahead of a match against a high-profile team like Bosnia and Herzegovina. They have players of great quality and experience, and we will respond with our own weapons – in which we have deep belief. That is where we must draw our strength from for tomorrow’s game.” Asked about the Head Coach’s philosophy, he reiterated that “mister Cevoli has never hidden his intention to rely on and involve young players. This approach gives courage not only to those of us already in the National Team group, but also to those who may soon join it. I believe the whole Sammarinese football system can only benefit from this.”