Under-21, final double-header coming up: starting at home against Poland

The last two matches of the two-year cycle await the Under-21 National Team. Tomorrow the Biancoazzurrini will face Poland on the same pitch – the San Marino Stadium – which in March, in their most recent outing, gave them a hard-earned yet wonderful draw against Latvia. Naturally, the starting point is precisely those magical moments. “There is a wave of emotion we need to ride, but it has to push us to improve even more – begins head coach Matteo Cecchetti as he looks ahead to tomorrow’s match – We must not feel satisfied or full up. We come into this double-header with Poland and Israel having also to deal with tiredness. Inevitably, the lads are carrying the after-effects of a very tough season, mentally as well.” In front of them, a Poland side that looks very different from the one they met in the reverse fixture. “We are expecting a different team compared to the one we came up against in October – continues the coach – Only seven players from that squad are still in the current call-up. In any case, we expect them to keep the same playing philosophy. In the first game they put us under pressure for long spells. They are the team that created the highest number of attacking situations against us. This demands maximum focus and sacrifice from us. But we also want to take another step forward in the attacking phase. We will need to occupy the penalty area well and be ruthless in the final third. Against opponents of this calibre, it is an exciting challenge.” On the same wavelength is Elia Ciacci, one of the veterans of the group: “Poland are one of the teams that made us work the hardest because of the tempo they kept up over the 90 minutes. That said, it was also one of the matches in which we produced one of our best performances. We know they will press hard for the whole game and we will have to be good at responding. The draw with Latvia gave us a real boost: we will need to use that to find extra energy when we need it most. What’s more, for some of us, myself included, tomorrow will be the last home match with the Under-21s, because our cycle is ending. We will have to give more than 100% to deliver our best performance.” Among the young Titans’ motivations is also that of confirming a certain status that has emerged from recent statistics. Coach Cecchetti underlines it: “Looking at the teams in pot six across the various groups, it’s clear that we have left many names behind us in terms of goals conceded, goal difference and points collected. This is a source of pride for us. But, far from resting on it, we want to turn it into an extra injection of energy and confidence heading into these last two games of the two-year cycle.” These are the players called up for the match: The match will be played tomorrow evening at the San Marino Stadium, with kick-off at 20:30. The game will be shown live on San Marino RTV, channel 831 on Digital Terrestrial, 520 on SKY and 93 on Tivùsat, as well as streaming on www.sanmarinortv.sm.

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