Italy coach Mancini wary of Northern Irish threat

Italy manager Roberto Mancini expects a physical Northern Ireland side to provide the toughest challenge of the three World Cup qualifying games his side are facing during a busy international break.

The Azzurri, who are on a 22-match unbeaten run under Mancini, welcome Ian Baraclough’s side to Parma on Thursday for their opening 2022 World Cup qualifier.

“The first match is the most difficult: it’s our first game in five months, and it’s against a difficult side to face,” Mancini told a news conference on Monday.

“They’re strong physically and have many players who play in the Premier League. We know that you can’t get it wrong on the road to the World Cup, we need to do the best we can in these three matches.

Italy will then play Bulgaria and Lithuania.

via Reuters

Discover more from The Dispatch

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Verified by MonsterInsights