Gennaro Gattuso says he hears the voices telling him to “take Italy to the World Cup”\u00a0and insists he is prepared for the task ahead of his team.<\/p>\n
This is the\u00a0third consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign to see Italy feature in the play-offs, and they have not featured at the tournament since 2014, when they were knocked out in the group stage.<\/p>\n
The Azzurri lost 1-0 on aggregate against Sweden ahead of the 2018 finals, while they were eliminated 1-0 by North Macedonia in the semi-final in 2022 in Palermo.<\/p>\n
This time around, having finished behind Norway in Group I, Italy will face off against Northern Ireland in the semi-finals, with the winners of that tie facing Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final.<\/p>\n
Italy have lost two of their last five home World Cup qualifiers (W3), having been unbeaten in all 59 beforehand between 1934 and 2021.<\/p>\n
They lost 4-1 to Norway last time at home, conceding as many goals that day as they had in their previous 13 home World Cup qualifiers combined.<\/p>\n
And Gattuso is aware of the pressure on his side to make it to the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n
“I’d be lying if I said when I put my head on the pillow at night, I didn’t hear the voices saying, ‘take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup’,” smiled Gattuso in his press conference.<\/p>\n
“I hear it, and I also hear that this is certainly the most important game of my career, even if I’ve been coaching for a few years now.<\/p>\n
“Having said that, I am prepared, and believe me, I am not thinking about what happens if things go badly. I want to think positive, to think big. Tomorrow we will certainly play our game, and then we’ll see.<\/p>\n
“You need experience on the field, but we must be ready to suffer when Northern Ireland systematically pump the ball into the box. Remember that any free-kick will see their goalkeeper smack a long ball forward with eight or nine players showing incredible hunger fighting for the loose ball and rebound.”<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland have lost their last six away competitive games against sides ranked inside the top 20.<\/p>\n
The only previous time Northern Ireland have featured in a World Cup qualifying play-off tie was ahead of the 2018 World Cup, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Switzerland (0-1 home, 0-0 away).<\/p>\n
And striker Josh Magennis says the magnitude of the match is not lost on Northern Ireland as they bid to reach their first World Cup in 40 years.<\/p>\n
“When you have the opportunity to play and wear the green and white jersey, you take full advantage of it,” Magennis told BBC Sport NI.<\/p>\n
“It is a night we are going to remember for the rest of our lives, whether we make it or not.<\/p>\n
“We are doing our best to make it a good one, so when we look back, like in 2016, that we have fond memories together and not ifs, buts and maybes.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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