The Italian national team, led by Luciano Spalletti, returns to the field for the third matchday of the Nations League. Tonight at 20:45 CET, Italy will host Belgium, coached by Domenico Tedesco, who will be without their star striker Romelu Lukaku. The Napoli forward has opted out of the match to focus on improving his physical condition, a decision accepted by the Belgian coach but widely debated in Belgium.
As for the Italian team, Spalletti revealed some of his plans during the pre-match press conference, particularly regarding Lorenzo Pellegrini’s presence on the pitch. “He has the same ability as Raspadori to create numerical superiority and control parts of the game. If you want to know who’s playing, Pellegrini will start,” Spalletti said.
On the attitude he expects from his players, Spalletti left no room for doubt: “This is a crucial game for our future. I expect it to be approached with the same courage we’ve seen in the last matches. I see a group eager and full of energy.”
Italy has a great opportunity in its next two home matches, against Belgium and Israel, to solidify its leadership in Group A2, keeping a strong rival like Belgium at bay and following up on the away win against France in their previous head-to-head clash.
However, the focus of coach Spalletti and the Italian Football Federation is primarily on qualifying for the World Cup, which they must achieve after missing the last two editions. Spalletti added, “Of course, we feel it’s our duty to qualify for the World Cup. It’s something that made so many people happy and shaped our history. It would be extremely important for us to participate, but it shouldn’t become an obsession…”
