Italy coach Antonio Conte has admitted his emotions are running high ahead of Tuesday’s friendly with England at Juventus stadium.
The 45-year-old claimed three consecutive Serie A titles as a coach, having won five for the Bianconeri as a player, and takes the national team to Turin in his first return to Juventus Stadium since departing for the Azzurri.
“It was a strong emotion returning today, and it will be again for tomorrow’s game. I have many beautiful memories of experiences with the fans and club,” Conte said in his pre-match press conference.
“Matches against strong nations like England are helpful, giving me the chance to see all the players and evaluate them outside of the tough qualifiers.
England travel to Italy with some fresh faces after a 4-0 win over Lithuania on Friday night, and Conte has already revealed a starting XI that includes Brazilian-born Eder and a debut for Empoli midfielder Mirko Valdifiori.
“We’re trying to build a good team, you have to have a little patience for newcomers to grow and you need to let us work to do our best.
“There is much talk [about my future] every day, but I go on. It is not easy, but as Mennea said ‘to achieve big dreams is very hard’ and I know that.”
