“There are national teams that are more experienced and one step above us,” said defender Leonardo Bonucci at the Azzurri training camp in Florence. “But we’ll be there, we want to fight,” announced the 34-year-old Juventus professional. Roberto Mancini’s selection is currently preparing for the opening game against Turkey in Florence.
“The team is an exceptional player”
From Bonucci’s point of view, it is not a disadvantage for the Italians that big stars like Kylian Mbappé or Cristiano Ronaldo are missing from the team. “The team is our exceptional player,” he said. “It’s true, we don’t have players who stand out at international level and can turn a game in a second. But when we played against big teams, the team made the difference,” added Bonucci. “As a team we have to fight and win.”
Within the team, there is especially great anticipation for the European Championship kick-off in front of fans in their own country. “It’s a different sport. Playing with fans helps you a lot, pushes you, that’s a completely different thing,” said Bonucci.
“I’m sure it will be a completely different atmosphere, we can hardly wait.” In the Olympic Stadium in Rome up to 25 percent of the seats can be occupied on Friday and thus 15,948 spectators can watch the Azzurri kick off the European Championship live.
dpa
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Stand: 07.06.2021, 15:13
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