Italy Under-21s enter their final European Championship qualifying test against Poland with the group still finely balanced, but Silvio Baldini will have to manage without Costantino Favasuli and Niccolò Fortini. The meeting, set for 18:15, will decide whether the Azzurrini can take first place in Group E and book direct passage to Albania and Serbia 2027.
Key takeaways
- Favasuli and Fortini have left the Italy Under-21 camp after medical assessments ruled them unavailable for Poland.
- Poland lead Group E by three points and also hold the advantage on goal difference.
- Honest Ahanor has joined Baldini’s squad after reporting from the senior Italy training camp at Coverciano.
- Napoli confirmed that Favasuli suffered a second-degree injury to the rectus femoris in his right thigh against Armenia.
- Even without winning the group, Italy retain a strong route to the finals as the best second-placed team.
Selection problems before the decisive evening
The victory in Armenia kept Italy’s campaign alive and brought the final matchday into sharp focus. Poland now stand between Pisilli and his team-mates and automatic qualification, with the leaders holding a three-point cushion as well as a superior goal difference.
Favasuli and Fortini will not be involved after being examined by the medical staff and sent back to their respective clubs. Their absence removes two wide options from Baldini’s plans at the point when the side need a result capable of overturning the group order.
Favasuli’s return to Napoli has since been followed by a more detailed club update. The right-sided player sustained muscular trauma during Armenia-Italy Under-21 and tests identified a second-degree lesion in the rectus femoris of his right thigh. He is due to begin rehabilitation at the Napoli Training Center the following day.
There is, however, an addition to the squad. Crystal Palace player Honest Ahanor arrived directly from Coverciano, where he had been with the senior national team. His arrival gives Baldini another option for a match that demands both composure and depth.
The coach divided the work among his players during the afternoon session, with those requiring recovery completing a lighter programme between the gym and treatment area.
More than one path towards the finals
First place remains Italy’s clearest route to the European Championship, but the campaign is not necessarily over if Poland preserve their position. The Azzurrini would still have favourable prospects of reaching the 2027 tournament as the best runner-up across the qualifying groups.
A 1-0 Italian win, while insufficient to take top spot if the goal-difference gap remains decisive, would put pressure on Greece, the most significant rival in the comparison between second-placed sides. In that scenario, Greece would need to win by at least five goals away to Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland have conceded only three goals at home in the qualifying campaign so far, a detail that leaves Italy with reason to believe that a narrow success over Poland could still carry substantial value. For Baldini’s side, then, the final evening is not merely about chasing the group leaders; it is about protecting a season’s work and ensuring the road to Albania and Serbia remains open.
