MD-1 at the Bergamo stadium: all set for Italy vs Estonia

Md-1 at the Bergamo Stadium as the Azzurri gear up for the qualifier to the 2026 World Cup.

Both sides went through the customary build-up as Estonia hit the pitch for a full training session, while Rino Gattuso's Italy -set to make his managerial debut at the Azzurri's helm in Bergamo- opted for a light walk-around, soaking up the atmosphere and giving media plenty to shoot.

Included in Gattuso’s squad are three Atalanta faces: Raoul Bellanova, Marco Carnesecchi, and Daniel Maldini (pictured in the cover photo – courtesy of FIGC Archive – © all rights reserved).
Meanwhile, Gianluca Scamacca departed the Italy camp in Coverciano earlier this morning and returned to the Centro Bortolotti in Zingonia.

The day wrapped up with the Azzurri's walkaround, followed by head coach Gennaro Gattuso's pre-match conference.

Kicking off MD-1 at the Bergamo Stadium was the Estonian national team, starting with the pre-match press conference followed by a training session, with the first 15 minutes open to the media.

The stage is now set for Friday night at 20:45 CEST: in a sold-out stadium, national anthems will ring out before kick-off between the two sides.

This will be the fourth-ever time Italy hit the field in Bergamo: first came the Azzurri's debut on January 24 1987 for the 1988 UEFA Euro qualifier that saw Azeglio Vicini's Italy run out 5-0 winners over Malta. The second appearance came on 15 November 2006: a 1-1 friendly draw against Turkey, with Bergamo-born Roberto Donadoni on the bench. The third and most recent outing was on October 15 2020, when Roberto Mancini's side drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in a UEFA Nations League clash.