The winner of the clash in beautiful Bergamo faces a World Cup play-off final against either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina next week
Gennaro Gattuso says Italy are bracing for a long-ball assault from opponents who will be “frothing at the mouth” when they face Northern Ireland tonight.
The Azzurri boss has told his players they must be prepared to suffer if they want to beat Michael O’Neill’s team in Bergamo and reach the World Cup play-off final against either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The former Rangers star said: “We’ve analysed seven or eight games — and I think that Northern Ireland’s main characteristic is this: a team that strongly believes in everything they do, that attacks you on second balls, they like to play vertically.
“They consistently throw the ball into the box, playing 70 and 80 yard passes with eight or nine players with an incredible hunger to score. They play on second balls, they know how to handle them, and we have to be good at that.
“They’re certainly a team that when they get the ball in the air, whether from set pieces or crosses, are incredible, because they have an incredible ruthlessness in this area, and these are Northern Ireland’s main qualities.
“We have to be ready, both physically and mentally, to face players who will be frothing at the mouth.
“Northern Ireland’s players fight for every ball as if it is the last ball of their lives. You have to understand it well, you have to know how to suffer.”
Nobody does history quite like the Italians. But even by their standards, Bergamo is special. Nestled in the foothills of snow-capped mountains, it’s a town of almost implausible beauty.
On Thursday night, however, the worry for the locals is that things could turn ugly.
For the thing about history is that, while it can swell the chest with pride, it can also burden the shoulders, depending on the gravity of the situation.
And for Italy, the situation is grave; lose tonight against Northern Ireland, and the four-time world champions will have failed to reach football’s biggest stage for the third time in a row.
As visiting boss Michael O’Neill put it: “We are the team with everything to gain. They are the team with everything to lose. Their players will have to deal with that.”
As the manager of an underdog team, facing one of the game’s heavy-hitters on their own turf, the wily O’Neill knows psychology can be a huge factor in this World Cup play-off semi-final.
Ghosts lurk in the recent collective memory of the Azzurri. Haunted by failures against Sweden in 2018 and, more shockingly, North Macedonia in 2022, the boys in blue will look to perform an exorcism at the New Balance Arena tonight.
O’Neill isn’t shy about leaning into the fact that the heat is on the home side.
“The pressure of managing Italy is a lot different from the pressure of managing Northern Ireland.
“I have admiration for Gennaro coming in and taking the job when he did, after the previous manager left after two games.
“His results have been good, he’s had five wins and then a defeat in their last game, in Milan against Norway, 4-1.
“That’s the last game that they’ve played and it’s difficult because you can carry that result for a period of time.”
O’Neill’s young side, backed by their loyal Green and White Army in the stands, have the energy and enthusiasm to get about the Italians, to frustrate them and prey on any doubts.
He added: “It’s important for us to keep the game tight, to make sure that the game’s not too open. Italy will expect us to play it that way.
“The longer the game stays at 0-0, the more difficult it always becomes for the team with the expectation on them.
“The most important thing is we play the game in phases. We anticipate a tough start to the game but we also know we can carry a threat, whether that’s from open play or from set-piece situations.
“Italy have to deal with the situation they have but we don’t expect to come here and have a high-scoring game.
“The one thing we can’t lack as a team is desire and competitiveness.
“What we have in our team is real athleticism. The benefit of young players is that they like to run for long periods in the game and I think that will be a key feature. We have to make sure that we show the best side of ourselves in all of the duels and the physicality of the game.
“But obviously we have to demonstrate quality and use the ball effectively.”
Italy manager Gattuso will recognise and admire those qualities; as a player he had them in abundance, and was a vital cog in his country’s World Cup-winning team alongside the more lavishly gifted Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero and Andrea Pirlo.
His squad boasts no individuals of that calibre, yet it would be foolhardy to think they won’t have enough about them to dominate the majority of this contest.
Discipline, courage and a dose of good fortune will be essential for Northern Ireland.
Overlooking the battlefield is one of Bergamo’s many beauties: the Venetian Walls, built in 1561 to protect the city from enemy attacks. Yet one reason this Unesco World Heritage Site retains such grandeur is that the walls were never actually involved in a siege, never had their structure and integrity tested by bombardment and battering rams.
O’Neill’s men know they won’t have that luxury on Thursday night.
Possible teams:
NI: P Charles; Spencer, McNair, Brown, Hume; Galbraith, S Charles, McCann, Price, Donley, Charles.
ITALY: Donnarumma; Calafiori, Mancini, Bastoni; Palestra, Locatelli, Tonali, Barella, DiMarco; Kean, Retegui
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