Italy will take on North Macedonia at the Stadio Barbera in Palermo on Thursday, then the winners go on to face either Portugal or Turkey on their turf in the World Cup Play-offs.
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Italy will take on North Macedonia at the Stadio Barbera in Palermo on Thursday, then the winners go on to face either Portugal or Turkey on their turf in the World Cup Play-offs. Only one of these four sides will make it to the 2022 World Cup. Italy finished runner-up to Switzerland in the World Cup qualifying group while Portugal were pipped to top spot in their group after a home defeat to Serbia. Meanwhile Italy playmaker Marco Verratti feels the team his accustomed to play under the kind of pressure.
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The boys hard at work today ??#WCQ #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro ?? https://t.co/g3RiZgG4NW
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) March 21, 2022
“We must have faith and like the Euros go far with enthusiasm and hunger,” said Verratti in his press conference.
“We each have different histories with our clubs, but once we are in the Nazionale, we give everything for this team.
“We won something extraordinary at the Euros, playing with enthusiasm and joy. People still talk about that victory and now they fear us more, the Portuguese players at PSG told me so.
“North Macedonia defend very deep, so we need to be wary of their counter-attacks. At the same time, we must find the spaces to cause them problems. We’re working on the tactics in training.”
Four-time World Champions Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after losing to Sweden in the playoffs. It was the first time the Azzurri had missed the World Cup since 1958. Now, after winning the Euro 2020 in July it may have to defeat Portugal to avoid a second straight failure.
“We are accustomed to playing under this kind of pressure,” continued Verratti. “We know it’s a very important moment and we cannot afford to miss the World Cup, but all we can do is give everything we’ve got. Our opponents will put in the performance of a lifetime, so we must do the same.
“When Roberto Mancini arrived, we were a broken team and he took us to win the European Championship. He worked on our minds above all, now we are a completely different side and we will do everything to go to Qatar.”
Also in the other World Cup qualification fixtures, Scotland will face Ukraine at home, and the winner will take on Wales or Austria in the final of their bracket. Meanwhile Russia will host Poland for the right to face either Sweden or Czech Republic in their bracket final.
