Tonight, in Udine, the Italian National Team, led by coach Luciano Spalletti, will face Israel in their fourth Nations League group stage match. This match will mark the debut of Guglielmo Vicario in the Italian squad, a particularly special occasion as it will take place in the city where he was born and raised, both personally and in his football career.
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini will not play, as he was sent off in the previous match against Belgium and has already returned to training at Trigoria under coach Juric in preparation for the Roma-Inter clash. As always, the core group of Inter players will be crucial for the Italian team’s performance.
Security measures in Udine are on high alert due to the presence of the Israeli national team. The area around the stadium is under strict protection to prevent any potential unrest. A pro-Palestine march is scheduled in the city this afternoon, yet another public condemnation of Israel’s offensive in the Middle East, which has continued for over a year. The Italian coach, Spalletti, emphasized the broader significance of the game, appealing on Tg1 for football to be a platform for promoting peace. “We go to play the match with the hope of convincing more people, because I believe that many Israelis also do not want war, and we need to reach them, to convince more people that this story must end,” he said.
Udine has been heavily secured for the past two days, and there is a strong possibility that the number of protesters at the march will exceed the roughly 11,000 fans expected at the stadium to support Italy. Mobile police units have arrived from various northern regions to reinforce the security, treating the area as a “red zone.” The city is patrolled by uniformed and plainclothes officers, assisted by approximately 500 stewards and explosive detection dogs.
