UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP - 2015/17 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Krakow Stadium - Krakow Sunday 18 June 2017 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Denmark Group C - Matchday 1 Italy Last updated 29/06/2017 05:46CET UEFA UNDER 21 OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 5 Match officials 7 Competition facts 8 Match-by-match lineups 9 Team facts 12 Legend 14 1 Denmark - Italy Sunday 18 June 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Krakow Stadium, Krakow Previous meetings Head to Head UEFA European Under-21 Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Potenza 16, Palladino 61, Bianchi 90; Würtz 24/05/2006 GS-FT Italy - Denmark 3-3 Aveiro 21, Kahlenberg 33, Andreasen 41 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached 0-0 19/11/2003 PO Italy - Denmark Rieti agg: 1-1 ag Kahlenberg 4 (P); 15/11/2003 PO Denmark - Italy 1-1 Farum Andersen 45 (og) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Coco 3, Ventola 77, 08/09/1999 QR (GS) Italy - Denmark 3-1 Cava de' Tirreni Petersen 88 (og); Smith 66 Rommedahl 4; Pirlo 26/03/1999 QR (GS) Denmark - Italy 1-2 Odense 36, Ventola 90 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached 2-0 22/04/1992 SF Italy - Denmark Perugia Buso 54, Muzzi 79 agg: 3-0 09/04/1992 SF Denmark - Italy 0-1 Aalborg Buso 20 Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Total Denmark 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 3 0 1 2 7 0 3 4 6 12 Italy 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 0 7 4 3 0 12 6 2 Denmark - Italy Sunday 18 June 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Krakow Stadium, Krakow Match background Denmark will hope to finally get their first competitive victory against Italy, at the eighth time of asking, when the teams meet in the opening round of Group C games. Previous meetings • The countries' eight previous competitive meetings have yielded four Italy wins and three draws – including their most recent encounter at the 2006 tournament in Portugal. • The matchday one fixture in Aveiro on 24 May 2006 ended 3-3, Denmark letting slip a two-goal lead. Italy struck first through Alessandro Potenza (16) but goals from Rasmus Würtz (21), Thomas Kahlenberg (33) and Leon Andreasen (41) turned the match in Denmark's favour, before Raffaele Palladino (61) and Rolando Bianchi (90) ensured the spoils were shared. Neither side progressed from Group B. • That was the third successive draw between the teams: Italy had reached the 2004 finals at Denmark's expense on away goals after drawing the away first leg of their play-off tie 1-1 and then achieving a 0-0 stalemate back in Italy. Claudio Gentile's charges went on to lift the title for the fifth and most recent time. • Italy also prevailed over Denmark en route to landing the 1992 and 2000 U21 titles. They were 3-0 aggregate winners (1-0 away, 2-0 home) in the two-legged semi-finals in the earlier competition, and subsequently picked up away (2-1) and home (3-1) victories in the qualifying group stage for the 2000 finals. Nicola Ventola scored in both of those latter games, with Andrea Pirlo on target in Denmark. Match background Denmark • Denmark drew their first Group 5 qualifier at home to Wales but won all their next nine – keeping clean sheets in their first five matches, and managing seven shut-outs overall. Their three goals against was the joint lowest in qualifying, along with Italy and England's records. • The Danes were semi-finalists – losing to neighbours Sweden – for only the second time in 2015, having also lost in the last four in 1992. They got to the quarter-finals in both 1978 and 1986, but otherwise have just two finals appearances to their name – being eliminated in the group stage in 2006 and, as hosts, 2011. Italy • Italy kept seven clean sheets in qualifying Group 2, shipping just three goals in ten matches – the joint-best defensive record overall alongside Denmark and England's. They shared two draws with second-placed Serbia but won seven of their other eight games, securing their finals place with a 0-0 stalemate in Lithuania on the last day. • Italy's five U21 titles came during a 12-year spell between 1992 and 2004 – three in a row in 1992, 1994 and 1996, with further triumphs in 2000 and 2004. They were runners-up to Spain in 2013, having also lost the 1986 final, and have reached another four semi-finals. • However, 2013 was the only time in the past six tournaments they have made it past the group stage, a hurdle that proved insurmountable again in 2015. • Italy will stage the 2019 European U21 Championship. Coach and player links • Kenneth Zohore was at Fiorentina between 2012 and 2015 but never featured for the first team. • Thomas Hagelskjær, Casper Nielsen, Andrew Hjulsager and substitute Emiliano Hansen were all in the Denmark side for the 4-1 success over Italy in qualifying for the 2012 European U17 Championship; Alberto Grassi and substitute Alberto Cerri figured for Italy. Coach profiles Niels Frederiksen, Denmark Frederiksen did not have a professional playing career, studying economics and working in banking for several years while operating part-time as a youth coach at B93 and Lyngby. He subsequently replaced Henrik Larsen as Lyngby coach in 2009, and in his first full season – 2009/10 – earned promotion to the Danish top flight. Frederiksen then succeeded Jess Thorup – who had taken charge of the Denmark U21s – to become Esbjerg coach at the start of the 2013/14 campaign. And he again took the baton from the outgoing Thorup when he was appointed to his current post in August 2015. Luigi Di Biagio, Italy A Lazio academy product, Di Biagio broke through with Zdeněk Zeman's Foggia in the early 1990s before returning to the Italian capital to play for Roma. After four seasons with the Giallorossi, four with Inter and three with Brescia, the 3 Denmark - Italy Sunday 18 June 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Krakow Stadium, Krakow midfielder retired in 2007 following a brief stay at Ascoli. Capped 31 times by Italy, Di Biagio missed the decisive penalty as the Azzurri lost to hosts France in the quarter-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Two years later he helped Italy to the UEFA EURO 2000 final, where once again they fell to Les Bleus. Having moved into coaching in 2008 at youth level with smaller clubs in Rome, he was named Italy U20 coach three years later and, in 2013, promoted to the U21s. He led the team to the 2015 European U21 Championship but the Azzurrini failed to survive the group stage despite finishing level with eventual champions Sweden in their section. 4 Denmark - Italy Sunday 18 June 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Krakow Stadium, Krakow Squad list Denmark Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Jeppe Højbjerg 30/04/1995 22 Esbjerg - 8 0 0 0 8 - 16 Thomas Hagelskjær 04/02/1995 22 AGF - 2 0 0 0 2 - 22 Daniel Iversen 19/07/1997 19 Esbjerg - 0 0 0 0 - - Defenders 2 Frederik Holst 24/09/1994 22 Brøndby - 9 0 0 0 9 - 3 Andreas Maxsø 18/03/1994 23 Nordsjælland - 10 0 0 0 10 - 4 Patrick Banggaard 04/04/1994 23 Darmstadt - 9 1 0 0 9 1 5 Jakob Blåbjerg 11/01/1995 22 AaB - 9 0 0 0 9 - 12 Rasmus Nissen 11/07/1997 19 Midtjylland - 4 0 0 0 4 - 13 Joachim Andersen 31/05/1996 21 Twente - 0 0 0 0 - - 15 Mads Pedersen 01/09/1996 20 Nordsjælland - 2 0 0 0 2 - 20 Jacob Rasmussen 28/05/1997 20 Schalke - 0 0 0 0 - - Midfielders 6 Christian Nørgaard 10/03/1994 23 Brøndby - 9 0 0 0 13 - 7 Andrew Hjulsager 15/01/1995 22 Celta - 9 2 0 0 9 2 8 Lasse Vigen Christensen 15/08/1994 22 Fulham - 8 0 0 0 22 5 14 Casper Nielsen 29/04/1994 23 OB - 8 2 0 0 8 2 17 Mathias Jensen 01/01/1996 21 Nordsjælland - 0 0 0 0 - - 18 Emiliano Hansen 09/03/1995 22 Nordsjælland - 3 1 0 0 3 1 19 Frederik Børsting 13/02/1995 22 AaB - 8 2 0 0 8 2 23 Mikkel Duelund 29/06/1997 19 Midtjylland - 2 0 0 0 2 - Forwards 9 Marcus Ingvartsen 04/01/1996 21 Nordsjælland - 6 8 0 0 6 8 10 Lucas Qvistorff Andersen 13/09/1994 22 Grasshoppers - 0 0 0 0 - - 11 Kenneth Zohore 31/01/1994 23 Cardiff - 4 1 0 0 11 5 21 Kasper Junker 05/03/1994 23 AGF - 0 0 0 0 - - Coach - Niels Frederiksen 05/11/1970 46 - 10 0 0 0 10 - 5 Denmark - Italy Sunday 18 June 2017 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Krakow Stadium, Krakow Italy Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma 25/02/1999 18 Milan - 2 0 0 0 2 - 17 Alessio Cragno 28/06/1994 22 Benevento - 8 0 0 0 8 - 19 Simone Scuffet 31/05/1996 21 Udinese - 0 0 0 0 - - Defenders 2 Davide Calabria 06/12/1996 20 Milan - 2 0 0 0 2 - 3 Antonio Barreca 18/03/1995 22 Torino - 5 0 0 0 5 - 4 Daniele Rugani 29/07/1994 22 Juventus - 5 0 0 0 12 2 12 Andrea Conti 02/03/1994 23 Atalanta - 9 0 0 0 9 - 13 Mattia Caldara 05/05/1994 23 Atalanta - 5 0 0 0 5 - 14 Davide Biraschi 02/07/1994 22 Genoa - 0 0 0 0 - - 22 Alex Ferrari 01/07/1994 22 Verona - 1 0 0 0 1 - 23 Giuseppe Pezzella 29/11/1997 19 Palermo - 0 0 0 0 - - Midfielders 5 Danilo Cataldi 06/08/1994 22 Genoa - 8 1 0 0 12 1 6 Lorenzo Pellegrini 19/06/1996 20 Sassuolo - 2 1 0 0 2 1 8 Alberto Grassi 07/03/1995 22 Atalanta - 3 0 0 0 3 - 15 Marco Benassi 08/09/1994 22 Torino - 9 3 0 0 13 5 18 Roberto Gagliardini 07/04/1994 23 Internazionale - 0 0 0 0 - - 21 Manuel Locatelli 08/01/1998 19 Milan - 0 0 0 0 - - Forwards 7 Domenico Berardi 01/08/1994 22 Sassuolo - 4 1 0 0 11 3 9 Alberto Cerri 16/04/1996 21 Pescara - 6 2 0 0 6 2 10 Federico Bernardeschi 16/02/1994 23 Fiorentina