Carmine Nunziata emphasized the critical importance of Italy's opening Euro 2025 U-21 match against Romania as his squad prepares to kick off their campaign in Trnava. The Italian youth coach made his priorities clear during Tuesday's pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday's 22:00 fixture at the "Malatinskiy" stadium.
"I've participated in many tournaments, and in a group of 4 teams, the first match is extremely important. We're ready," – Nunziata stated, flanked by star player Tommaso Baldanzi.
The Italian coach detailed his team's ten-day training camp preparation, balancing rest for those who needed it while rebuilding match fitness for players who've seen limited club action this season. It's a significant concern for Nunziata, who pointed out that many of his players struggled for regular playing time with their clubs.
Baldanzi, sitting beside his coach, dismissed fatigue concerns: "Tiredness takes a back seat. We all wanted to be here and gave everything to make it. There'll definitely be no lack of unity or attachment to the shirt."
Interestingly, 12 players from the U-20 World Cup squad coached by Nunziata and Baldanzi two years ago have made the step up to the U-21s. Four additional players from Italy's U-19 European Championship-winning side have also been included.
Italy's recent tournament record has been disappointing – they haven't reached a final since 2013 and have exited at the group stage in two of the last three competitions. Between those failures came a quarter-final loss to Portugal.
Louis Munteanu emerges as Romania's danger man after rejoining the U-21s following time with the senior national team. The forward carries extra motivation against Italian opposition after "Fiorentina" sold him to "Cluj" – a decision he's eager to prove wrong.
"I'll show them they made a mistake," Munteanu declared, adding personal stakes to the group opener.
Romanian coach Daniel Pancu acknowledged the stylistic differences between the teams but remained optimistic: "We can't play Italian football; they've played it since childhood. When differences on paper are very large, possession will be more on their side than ours tomorrow."
However, Pancu also noted that football's unpredictable nature means paper favorites don't always prevail. He added a touch of national pride: "We represent a nation that lives for these events much more than our politicians."
The match tension increased when Nunziata apparently couldn't recall Pancu's name during a press conference. When asked about his Romanian counterpart, Nunziata simply responded: "He's a very good football player."
Pancu's response? "To earn respect and make them remember your name, you need to beat them."
Both sides have confirmed their likely starting lineups, with Italy missing key striker Pio Esposito (6 goals in qualifying). Can Romania capitalize on this absence and pull off an upset? We'll find out Wednesday night at 22:00.
