AGI – Blue crossroads: in or out. At 6pm the Olympiastadion in Berlin will host the first round of 16 final of Euro2024 and the reigning champions will take to the field, fresh from a qualification snatched in the last seconds of injury time, thanks to the prowess of the Calafiori-Zaccagni duo. Facing Yakin’s Switzerland, they risked taking first place in the group from the hosts Germany and instead took the 2022 World Cup away from us. Facing us again, it had happened before, three years ago , when Nati was one of the stages of that journey (net 3-0) which the Azzurri then completed by triumphing at Wembley.
And speaking of triumphs, as mentioned, the game is at the Olympiastadion where the National team returns 18 years after the final won on penalties against France. Buffon in recent days, as revealed by Spalletti, has told the Azzurri about the emotions of those days, one more reason, the coach underlines, to enter the field and honor in the best possible way the historic world title won in 2006. The comparison between the two teams does not hold up, but certain behaviors can be brought onto the field, just as certain values can be transmitted.
Spalletti has to do without the suspended Calafiori and the unavailable Dimarco. We return to the 4-man defence, in front of Donnarumma, from right to left, Di Lorenzo, Mancini (making his debut at Euro2024), Bastoni and Darmian, Barella and Cristante as the interior in midfield, Fagioli as director, then El Shaarawy in the attacking department ( also making his debut) and Chiesa Largi, Scamacca as the sole striker.
70 thousand spectators expected at the Olympistadion. There are no certain data, except for the 6000 tickets sold to both Swiss and Italian fans. The Azzurri supporters could reach 10-12 thousand, the Swiss could be double, the rest remains to be seen. In the stands the highest football leaders with the president of Fifa, the Italian-Swiss Gianni Infantino, the numbers 1 of Uefa and Figc, respectively Aleksander Ceferin and Gabriele Gravina.
The presence of the President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa, the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, the President of Inter, Beppe Marotta, the number 1 of Lega Pro, Matteo Marani, and Ambassador Varricchio has also been announced. The world champions Marco Materazzi and Gianluca Zambrotta will also return to the Olympiastadion in Berlin, where they won the World Cup in 2006.
