Italy’s head coach, Alessandro Campagna, has kept the roster the same as the World Championships in Fukuoka.
After the „Christmas tournament“ in Malta, where Italy won 1st place, Campagna solved all dilemmas about the team that would participate in the European Championships in Croatia. The same 15 players who finished 5th at the World Championships in Fukuoka will come to Croatia.
Italy participated in two recent preparation tournaments, showcasing very good performances. The Italians secured the top spot in the “Sardinia Cup” held in Cagliari, triumphing over Montenegro, Australia, and France.
Following that success, the team traveled to Malta for their next set of matches.
On Day 1, Italy was too strong for Malta – 21:6 (4:1, 6:1, 4:3, 7:1). In the second encounter, Italy faced the Netherlands, emerging victorious with a scoreline of 15:10 (3:2, 3:2, 3:3, 6:4).
The crucial clash for the first position took place in the last round against France. Despite missing new captain Francesco Di Fulvio, Italy displayed exceptional play. The match turned into a one-sided affair, concluding with a resounding 20:3 (7:2, 5:0, 3:1, 5:0) victory. The most significant contributions came from Lorenzo Bruni, with five goals, and Fondelli and Presciutti, each securing three goals.
Almost all the players who will represent France at the European Championships were on the roster for the match against Italy, but the hosts of the Olympic Games suffered a heavy loss.
Malta Christmas Tournament results
Day 1: Malta – Italy 6:21, Netherlands – France 8:10.
Day 2: Malta – France 11:15, Italy – Netherlands 15:10
Day 3: Malta – Netherlands 7:22, Italy – France 20:3.
Standings: 1. Italy 9, 2. France 6, 3. Netherlands 3, 4. Malta 0
Italy at the 2024 European Championships
Goalkeepers: Marco Del Lungo (Pro Recco), Gianmarco Nicosia (Savona).
Field players: Vincenzo Dolce, Vincenzo Renzuto Iodice (all Brescia), Luca Damonte, Edoardo Di Somma (both Ferencvaros), Luca Marziali (Trieste), Giacomo Cannella, Francesco Condemi, Francesco Di Fulvio, Gonzalo Echenique, Andrea Fondelli, Nicholas Presciutti (all Pro Recco), Alessandro Velotto (Marseille), Lorenzo Bruni (Savona).
Campagna called 19 players to the preparations. The four who will stay home are Alesiani, Iocchi Gratta, Gianazza and goalkeeper De Michelis. The latter didn’t travel to Malta.
Italy will play in Group B of the European Championships. The “Settebello” will face Hungary, Greece and Georgia in the group in Zagreb.
