The tension will be palpable on Monday evening in Leverkusen in a direct battle for second place in Group C. Thanks to the 2-1 win in the first leg in the German BayArena, the Italians have enough to qualify for the first leg with a draw against Ukraine. EK. That will not be easy, because opponent Ukraine also has a chance of second place in group C. Then it will have to beat Italy.
After missing the World Cup in Qatar last winter, it would be a real shame for Italy to miss a second major tournament in a row, although national coach Luciano Spalletti does not want to think about that scenario. “We go to Germany with the certainty that this is a match where we can get the result we want. The attitude must be to play this match the way we have trained, the way we have talked about since we first came together,” he sounds confident. Not illogical, because Italy has never lost to Ukraine. The balance is two draws and seven wins in favor of the Italians.
Spalletti does not want to see a fearful team against Ukraine. “Many want to scare us by reminding us of the importance of this match, but our motivation goes beyond fear. We should not wonder whether we should win, but whether we can win. The answer to that question is yes. We have to act as a team and do our best. We want to make the Italians fall in love with this team and it is the right match for us to get one step closer to that.”
