Italy handed huge Nicolo Fagioli injury boost ahead of Spain clash

Italy wasted no time in getting back to action following their opening Euro 2024 victory against Albania.

The Azzurri took to the field for a friendly match against the youth team of Borussia Dortmund, giving an opportunity to those who didn’t feature or played limited minutes in the opening game.

The match served as valuable preparation for Luciano Spalletti’s entire squad.

The friendly ended in a 3-1 victory for the Italians, but the result was secondary. For Spalletti, the focus was on assessing the performance of those who didn’t start against Albania or came on late in the game. This included midfielder Nicolò Fagioli.

The Juventus youngster, who had been dealing with some minor physical issues in recent days, showed encouraging signs ahead of the rest of the tournament.

The 2001-born player has fully recovered and was deployed in a central midfield duo by Spalletti, as he had been in the pre-tournament friendlies.

Fagioli added his name to the scoresheet with a long-range effort, joining Mateo Retegui’s brace. This positive performance will bring a smile to Spalletti’s face as he now has the option to call upon Fagioli’s quality against Spain on June 20th.

Fagioli’s absence was particularly noticeable in the second half against Albania, as Italy’s tempo dropped after a strong first half. Jorginho played the entire match, while Nicolò Barella was substituted in the closing minutes.

Against Spain, Spalletti knows he can count on Fagioli if needed, both to rest his key midfielders and to inject fresh energy into the game. This versatility will be crucial as Italy aims to progress as far as possible in the tournament.

The friendly against Borussia Dortmund’s youth team also provided an opportunity for Federico Gatti, the other Juventus player among the 26 Azzurri squad members along with Federico Chiesa and Bellanova.

As reported by Goal, the defender initially started the match for the German side, along with Folorunsho and Bellanova.

Cambiaso, who came on for Chiesa in the 77th minute against Albania, also featured in the friendly. This time, he played in his natural left-back position. After Dimarco’s costly error against Albania, Cambiaso could potentially be given a chance to start against Spain.

Italy’s positive performance and the encouraging signs from Fagioli and others set the stage for a crucial match against Spain, where the Azzurri will aim to continue their strong start to Euro 2024.