Under-21s: Turkey test awaits tomorrow

A month on from the Ireland match, the Under-21 National Team is back on the road for a European Qualifier. Yesterday, Matteo Cecchetti and his players touched down in Istanbul, where they will face Turkey tomorrow evening. This morning they had a light session, while in the late afternoon the young Biancoazzurri will hold their Official Training Session at the Ümraniye Stadium, the venue for the match against Levent Arca Sürme’s side, who currently sit level with San Marino on zero points after defeats to both Ireland and Italy. There are a few absentees in the San Marino camp: suspended Matteoni is not among the call-ups, nor are Santi, Toccaceli and Sensoli, all sidelined through injury. Back in the squad instead are Renzi, Pasquinelli and Rastelli, making their first appearance in this qualifying campaign but already capped at Under-21 level in the past. An absolute first call-up, meanwhile, for Marco Gasperoni, Luca Terenzi and Alberto Guerra, all born in 2004. “It’s true that suspensions and injuries have somewhat reduced the pool of players available – said the Head Coach – but beyond that, the squad I have at my disposal is undoubtedly of a very good level and ready to take on a challenge of this kind. I certainly expect a tough match, against a side desperate to get off the mark in the group and one that can also rely on home advantage. For us, though, that matters only up to a point. Every match has to be approached in the same way, namely by putting huge focus on the defensive phase and never losing our courage or our desire to attack. We will also try to exploit the weaknesses that have so far left Turkey stuck on zero points.” For the second game running, the young Titani will play away from San Marino. But unlike in September, this time there will be a single fixture rather than a double-header. “Historically, the first game is the one where you can count on having the most energy available, but it’s also the one where we struggle the most to get up to match pace,” continued coach Cecchetti. “Conversely, in the second game we usually find our rhythm more easily, but our energy levels drop more quickly. Here we will need to be very good at approaching the match in the best possible way, doing from the very start what we have set out to do, with the advantage of not having to manage our energy levels. In short, we will have to play without holding anything back, right from kick-off.” Turkey v San Marino will be the fourth outing for the young Biancoazzurri in this European Qualifying campaign, and the third for the hosts. Kick-off is at 19:45 local time, 18:45 in Italy. Here is the Head Coach’s squad list:

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