Italy Vs England in the Euro 2024 Qualifications Like a Classic Match for Roberto Mancini

The coach of the Italian national team, Roberto Mancini. (Photo: Twitter/@Azzurri)

JAKARTA - The Italian national team will host England in the opening qualifying for Euro 2024, Friday, March 24, in the early hours of Western Indonesian Time (WIB). This match is believed to be fierce.

Italy coach, Roberto Mancini believes, his team's duel with England has earned the label "classic". This is inseparable from the rivalry between the two teams that has existed for a long time.

In fact, the two teams have often met recently. One of them was when the Azzurri won the Euros by beating Gareth Southgate's team on penalties in the final at Wembley in 2021.

Italy and the Three Lions then played out a goalless draw in the Nations League last June, before Giacomo Raspadori secured a 1-0 victory for Mancini's men in their last meeting three months later.

England will get another chance to exact revenge in their Group C qualifier at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this week. Mancini was expecting a big challenge in Naples.

"For me, it's become a classic. England and Italy seem to meet a lot, like Italy and Germany in the past," said Mancini.

"For a long time now they have been a fantastic team, full of talented players, with power and technique. It will be a tough game like any other."

"They have more options than us for many reasons, but in Naples we want to play a good game, play well and start this qualifying well," he continued.

Mancini said his team was now struggling to restore the team's glory after previously failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

"Unfortunately there was a difficult break in the World Cup, but apart from the games the team has always done well," said Mancini.

"We have been to the Nations League final twice, this means there is value (in the team). We have to rebuild something important, because to win there must be a solid foundation," he continued again.