Italy spotted warming up on local football pitch ahead of England showdown
Italy's star-studded Euro 2020 winning squad were spotted training on local pitches around Wolverhampton ahead of their clash with England on Saturday.
In pictures posted to Twitter on Saturday morning, Italy boss Roberto Mancini was snapped instructing his players around the astroturf pitch. One picture showed former City boss Mancini talking to a group of players, while in another showed him alone with Sandro Tonali.
Italy have also been training on the Molineux pitch ahead of the crunch Nations League match against England. The Azzurri currently top group A3 having drawn 1-1 with Germany before beating Hungary.
England, meanwhile, sit at the bottom of the group after a bitterly disappointing loss to Hungary and an entertaining draw in Germany earlier this week. The Three Lions are in desperate need of points if they are to qualify for next summer's Finals.
But their case will not be made any easier by playing behind closed doors against Italy at Molineux on Saturday night. There will be around 3,000 spectators, mostly schoolchildren, due to a two-match stadium ban handed to the FA for unrest at the Euro 2020 final.
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And in a rematch of that heartbreaking match at Wembley almost 12 months ago, Mancini has admitted that he is expecting a "very different game" in the West Midlands.
He said: “We would have preferred to play with supporters. Football without supporters is not football and is not good for an important game like this. I agree with him (Southgate).
“I don’t know if it (the punishment) is appropriate. I don’t remember what happened outside the stadium at Wembley.
“But it’s very difficult for me, after one year without supporters, to play again with no supporters, it’s very difficult. It’s better because football is more beautiful with supporters.
“It’s going to be a very different game because we play here and behind closed curtains.”
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