Italy Ready To Prove Freedom Against Greece, Says Interim Boss Baldini

Italy head into a friendly against Greece at the Pankritio Stadium on Sunday with a youthful squad and a relaxed mindset, as interim coach Silvio Baldini urges freedom on the pitch in the final match of the season for a team set to miss a third straight World Cup.

Baldini, normally Italy Under-21s coach, remains in temporary charge while the federation keeps looking for Gennaro Gattuso's replacement, and is expected to adjust the line-up again, aiming to keep the same expressive style that brought a narrow win over Luxembourg.

Against Luxembourg on Wednesday, Italy used an experimental side and claimed a 1-0 victory while handing 15 players their first senior caps, and the starting XI had an average age of 21 years and 354 days, the youngest since a friendly with Austria in December 1912.

Francesco Pio Esposito decided the Luxembourg match with the only goal, which was the fourth international strike for the forward, and that achievement made Esposito just the third Italy player to score more than three times before turning 21, after Giuseppe Meazza on 11 and Gianni Rivera on five.

The interim coach is set to freshen the four-time world champions again for the trip to Greece, using the game to deepen experience for emerging players while keeping an emphasis on technical quality, even with a higher level of opposition than in midweek.

Baldini outlined the mentality he wants from Italy, saying: "I expect to see the same things we saw in Luxembourg, he told Sky Sport Italia.Even if the opponents are of a different level this time around. I would like the lads to start the game relaxed, ready to prove their freedom. It doesn't mean that they are not present in the match, but able to bring out all the technical quality at the disposal of the Italy side."

For Italy, this friendly in Greece acts as another step in evaluating emerging talent after missing qualification for a third successive World Cup, with Baldini using the occasion to test young players under different pressure while maintaining a calm environment that encourages expression on the ball.