Italy vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Nations League preview: where to watch, team news

Italy face Bosnia and Herzegovina in UEFA Nations League Group 1 in Florence on Friday 4 September at 20:45 CET.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here

Squads

Italy
Goalkeepers: Cragno (Cagliari), Donnarumma (Milan), Meret (Napoli), Sirigu (Torino)
Defenders: Acerbi (Lazio), Biraghi (Inter), Bonucci (Juventus), Caldara (Atalanta), Chiellini (Juventus), D'Ambrosio (Inter), Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Florenzi (Roma), Mancini (Roma), Luca Pellegrini (Juventus), Spinazzola (Roma)
Midfielders: Barella (Inter), Bonaventura (unattached), Castrovilli (Fiorentina), Cristante (Roma), Gagliardini (Inter), Jorginho (Chelsea), Locatelli (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Sensi (Inter), Zaniolo (Roma)
Forwards: Belotti (Torino), Caputo (Sassuolo), Chiesa (Fiorentina), El Shaarawy (Shanghai Shenua), Immobile (Lazio), Insigne (Napoli), Kean (Everton), Lasagna (Udinese), Orsolini (Bologna)

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Goalkeepers: Begović (Bournemouth), Burić (Hapoel Haifa), Šehić (Konyaspor)
Defenders: Bičkačić (Hoffenheim), Cipetić (Široki Brijeg), Ćivić (Ferencváros), Kolašinac (Arsenal), Kovačević (Ferencváros), Kvržić (Kayserispor), Saničanin (Vojvodina), Šunjić (Dinamo Moskva)
Midfielders: Bešić (Everton), Cimirot (Standard Liège), Danilović (Borac Banja Luka), Duljević (Nîmes), Gojak (Dinamo Zagreb), Hadžiahmetović (Konyaspor), Hajradinović (Kasımpaşa), Menalo (Dinamo Zagreb), Milošević (Konyaspor), Šabanadžović (AEK Athens), Višća (Başakşehir)
Forwards: Džeko (Roma), Hodžić (Fehérvár), Koljić (Universitatea Craiova)

Previous meetings

• Sides are meeting for fourth time; Italy’s record in past three encounters is W2 L1.

• Most recently, teams were paired in EURO 2020 qualifying; Italy won 2-1 in Turin, then 3-0 in Sarajevo.

What the coaches say

Roberto Mancini, Italy coach: "I'm very happy to be back at Coverciano and to be back with the guys after so many months. We've got to show real passion, just like we did in our [EURO] qualification group. There's got to be a desire to play for the national team again. We must build on the foundations we've already got in place; we've been playing good football and enjoying ourselves on the pitch. It won't be an easy match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then we'll turn our thoughts to the match in Amsterdam. The two matches will be very different from one another."

Dušan Bajević, Bosnia and Herzegovina coach: "Italy, Poland and the Netherlands are demanding opponents and it is difficult to predict what will happen. Our goal is to achieve the best possible placement and stay in League A. We believe in our players and we hope that we can achieve the results that we want. It will be difficult to play in front of empty stands. We are all used to a different picture. I hope that a solution to the coronavirus will be found as soon as possible."

Next up

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Poland – 7 September
Netherlands vs Italy – 7 September