Italy Under-21 central defenders Daniele Rugani and Alessio Romagnoli are both targeting a first European Under-21 Championship win since 2004 ahead of the competition in the Czech Republic.
The Azzurrini are the most successful side in the history of the tournament with five previous wins and have been drawn in Group B with England, Portugal and Sweden.
“We’re ready to build something important,” Rugani said during a press conference.
“In the last two years we have grown so much, despite facing an uphill struggle.
“I am sure we will have our say. We are in a group of death, and we do not start as favourites, but you will see that we can compete with everyone.
“The European Championships will be a great experience, I am delighted to be here and I am focused on the goal of winning the tournament.”
Romagnoli also discussed how his side is preparing ahead of their opening game against Sweden at the Andruv Stadion on June 18 as well as his development on-loan at Sampdoria from Roma this season.
“The coach [Luigi Di Biagio] has been doing a lot of work with us in recent days so that we can get the most out of our first match against Sweden,” said Romagnoli.
“We have not yet spoken specifically about our opponents, but we will begin to study them next week.
“This season at Sampdoria? I owe a lot to my coach [Sinisa Mihajlovic].
“The experience I have gained this year with Sampdoria has made me stronger and I am now ready to have a great tournament.”
