Italy needs to send a message to change public perception. The team is doing what it must to approach the match with great calm. The players are very resilient and are accustomed to handling all kinds of pressure. They must be aware of their abilities. The Italian team suffered a blow after Federico Chiesa was ruled out of the squad due to not being ready to play, as announced by the Italian Football Federation on Monday. Chiesa, who often comes off the bench for Liverpool, was one of the stars of the 'Azzurri' during their Euro 2020 triumph, but he has not played for his national team since the disappointing campaign at Euro 2024. Striker Nicolò Cambiaghi of Bologna was called up to replace Chiesa, while defender Alessandro Bastoni and Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca are aiming to recover quickly to participate in Thursday's match. It can be said without hesitation that Italian football is going through a very difficult period for a long time, and this is not just about the national team, but also about the standing of its clubs, which have not won the Champions League since 2010 when Inter, led by Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, lifted the trophy. Inter was the only Italian team close to bringing the prestigious cup back to Italy, but they lost the 2023 final to Manchester City and were then humiliated 0-5 in last year's final against Paris Saint-Germain. None of Italy's four teams in this season's edition reached the quarter-finals, and Atalanta was the only one to reach the round of 16 before suffering a humiliating 2-10 aggregate defeat to German Bayern Munich. The magic the Italian national team can work transcends the current difficulties. He stressed: 'We must respect Northern Ireland, but I also believe that if the players give everything they have, it will be enough to reach the final. Imagine me having to remind them of this every day, at every moment. You won't have blood in your veins if you don't feel it (the pressure)'. He believes that 'all the players here know what we are playing for and the importance of this match. The last 120 days have been an ordeal, but they have also helped build something extra, a deep spirit and understanding that we need'. Buffon added: 'It's true that we feel people's skepticism, but I am confident that even the harshest critics will stand behind Italy when the referee blows the starting whistle. There's no need to suffocate them'. The players feel 'people's skepticism'. As for legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 2006 world champion and currently head of the delegation, he acknowledged that the 'Azzurri' players feel 'people's skepticism', while at the same time expressing confidence that the team is 'accustomed to handling all kinds of pressure'. Buffon said on Sunday evening on the 'Domenica Sportiva' program: 'We have reached the moment of truth. All eyes will be on Bergamo on Thursday (11:45 PM UAE time) where the Italian team will seek to avoid what is considered a catastrophe for a country that breathes football, as they host Northern Ireland in the semi-final of the first path of the European playoff qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. For the third consecutive time, Italy finds itself forced to play the European playoff after failing to qualify from its group, hoping the scenario of 2018 and 2022 does not repeat when they were absent from the finals in Russia and Qatar. Italy lost the 2018 playoff final to Sweden 0-1 away and drew 0-0 at home, missing the tournament for the first time since 1966, then fell in the 2022 European playoff semi-final at home to North Macedonia 0-1 in the second minute of added time. Italy finished second in the qualifiers for the next edition after losing home and away to Norway's Erling Haaland and his teammates, forcing them into the playoff. The last encounter between Italy and Northern Ireland dates back to the qualifiers for the previous finals, when Italy won 2-0 away and drew 0-0 in the last round of Group 3, which the four-time world champions finished second behind Switzerland by two points, forcing them into the playoff. Disappointment after disappointment. Since winning their fourth world title in 2006 under Marcello Lippi, Italy has experienced major disappointments at the finals, exiting in the group stage in 2010 and 2014 before failing to qualify for the last two tournaments. In the current decline, winning Euro 2021 seems like just a temporary awakening, followed by the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. If Italy succeeds in asserting its dominance over Northern Ireland at home, as in all seven previous encounters between them in Italy, friendly or official, Italy will play in the first path final next Tuesday against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina, who meet on Thursday in the first's home ground. For Italy's coach Gennaro Gattuso: 'It's natural to feel pressure'.
