Una decisive matcheven without being. Whatever the result of Italy-Switzerland (20.45 hours), in fact, there will be no final verdicts on qualification a 2022 FIBA WC, but mathematics, despite being an exact science, doesn't always manage to explain everything, especially in football. And so, while reiterating that the games, however it goes at the Olimpico, will still be open until Monday, it is fair to say that whoever wins tonight will be virtually in Qatar, while whoever comes out defeated will have to pass through playoff forks. Being Italy and Switzerland tied for first place with 14 points, just one day from the end of the qualifiers, it is clear that this is a real direct match and that winning it would be worth a good slice of the World Cup: in fact, on Monday it would be enough not to lose in Belfast against Northern Ireland to officially detach the pass, regardless of what Switzerland does against Bulgaria.
Under the rules of the past it would have been enough to win tonight, given the 0-0 draw in the first leg, but now direct confrontation is no longer the first criterion to consider in case of equal points finish: first there is the goal difference (+11 for the Azzurri, +10 for the Swiss), then the total of goals scored (12 - 10), finally the points in face-to-face confrontations. In short, the game is one of those that count and never mind if only 4 months have passed since the night at Wembley, which hoisted us to the roof of Europe: the World Cup is at stake here and our participation is vital for the credibility of the our movement, especially after the flop of 4 years ago, when we didn't qualify for Russia 2018.
"We are in a positive situation, we know what we are as a team and we have to remain calm, even if a difficult match awaits us - commented Mancini – Surely the Olimpico will give us a big hand, we played here three matches of the European Championship and the public has always supported us. The boys are calm but focused, they know that to win they must always be at 100%, without thinking about all the other things around them".
Any reference to the controversy triggered by Lotito after Immobile's injury ("he played 90 minutes with Salernitana and was fine in the end, then I don't know what happened the night or the day after, but I noticed that these situations always happen to our players”, the attack by the president of Lazio) is far from casual, perhaps even superfluous: a night like this, in fact, gives incentives regardless, let alone the reigning European champion team. So it's better to think about our opponents, largely beaten in the European Championship group (3-0, brace from Locatelli and goals from Immobile) but not in the first leg match on 5 September, when we even missed a penalty with Jorginho.
“We are here in Rome to win and qualify for the World Cup without a play-off – he thundered the coach of Switzerland Yakin – We know we are underdogs, but Sweden were also underdogs in 2017 and yet they eliminated the Azzurri…”. A sting that hurts, but which all in all reflects reality and therefore should be cashed in with style, perhaps as additional fuel for tonight.
Mancini would have liked to play Qatar with the entire squad; instead, he will have to do without important players such as Chiellini, Verratti, Immobile, Pellegrini and Zaniolo, not to mention that Stretcher, while gritting his teeth, is grappling with some ailments and therefore can't be 100%. The blue 4-3-3 will thus see Donnarumma in goal, Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Acerbi and Emerson Palmieri in defense, Barella, Jorginho and Locatelli in midfield, Chiesa, Belotti and Insigne in attack.
Important absences also for Switzerland, arrived in Rome without the suspended Xhaka and the injured Zuber, Fassnacht, Kobel, Seferovic and Embolo. Yakin will thus rely on a 4-2-3-1 with Sommer between the posts, Mbabu, Schär, Akanji and Ricardo Rodríguez in the back, Freuler and Zakaria (special observation from Mourinho's Roma) in the midfield, Steffen, Sow and Shaqiri behind the lone striker Gavranovic.
The referee for the match will be the Englishman Taylor, on his fifth career match with Italy (the previous 4 play a win, a loss and two draws, the last in this summer's match against Austria, which he then won in extra time) , which he will conduct in front of 52 spectators at the Olimpico, the maximum allowed with a capacity of 75%. Not to mention the millions of Italians in front of the TV, ready to cheer with the hope of reliving another magical night, the umpteenth of this incredible 2021.
