Italy v Bosnia -2: Scamacca back in training. Bastoni not fully fit; departure postponed until Monday due to snow

Italy return to training today at Coverciano under head coach Gattuso, with a session set to begin this afternoon at 5pm and the entire squad in attendance. The team will not fly out for Zenica until Monday.

There are two key concerns that Gennaro Gattuso will be carrying with him in the run-up to the match.

The first is well known: Alessandro Bastoni is still not at his best following the match against Northern Ireland, in which he gritted his teeth to play but came off exhausted and not at his best. His condition will need to be monitored; otherwise, Federico Gatti (who came on in the second half in Bergamo) will be called upon again.

The other concern is over who will partner Moise Kean in the heart of the Italian attack, with Mateo Retegui looking lacklustre throughout the first half against Northern Ireland and that missed one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper still stinging. Pio Esposito, on the other hand, is light-headed and sluggish, and with him on the pitch, Italy fell apart. Today, it’s 50-50.

From day one, Gennaro Gattuso has chosen to focus entirely on the team’s unity.

The 28-man squad also includes several injured players who were determined to join the team at all costs, with Di Lorenzo and Vicario having already confirmed that they will fly to Bosnia to be with their teammates.

Yesterday evening, to help ease the tension, Gattuso gave the team the evening off, with many of the lads making the most of their three or four hours of free time to leave the Coverciano training camp and spend time with their families before returning for the night.

The video of the Italian lads – Dimarco, Vicario and Pio Esposito in particular – celebrating at the final whistle of the Wales v Bosnia match has inevitably gone viral across the internet.

It was a gesture that Bosnian fans and players did not take kindly to, to the extent that the prevailing view – evident even on the federation’s social media – is to regard the Italians as ‘arrogant’, accompanied by a threatening ‘we’ll bear that in mind’.

To apologise, the Inter full-back immediately wrote to his former teammate Edin Dzeko and today he might try to smooth things over by speaking out himself at a press conference.

Finally, keep an eye on the fiery atmosphere at Bilino Polje in Zenica. This industrial town is known for its passionate support, and the Bosnian ultras are a truly organised group. The stadium, which opened in 1972, has a capacity of 15,600 seats; it is a small, electric venue with stands situated very close to the pitch.

Furthermore, following the fine imposed on Bosnia for “misconduct by the team, discrimination, racism, the use of pyrotechnics, disruption during the national anthems and a lack of order and discipline inside and outside the stadium”, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced by 20%, with the South Stand and part of the West Stand closed.

Bosnian playmaker Kerim Alajbegovic has taken a dig at Italy in an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*: "We'll win. The atmosphere will be electric both inside and outside the stadium; it's going to be a brutal match"

READ ALL HIS COMMENTS HERE

Tickets for the final against Bosnia are now on sale. The 500 tickets available for the away section at the ‘Bilino Polje’ stadium in Zenica can be purchased for €15 from 12 noon today until 8 pm tomorrow, Sunday 29 March.

During the afternoon training session at Coverciano, Gianluca Scamacca was back with the group after watching the match against Northern Ireland from the stands due to a muscle-fascial injury to his right adductor. Guglielmo Vicario was also on the sidelines watching his teammates, alongside Gabriele Gravina and Gianluigi Buffon.

As reported by *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, there has been a change of plan for the Azzurri following an on-site inspection by an FIGC delegate. Snow has fallen in Bosnia in the last few hours, and head coach Gennaro Gattuso has decided to cancel the final training session in Zenica, preferring to remain in Coverciano and thus postponing the team’s departure for Bosnia.

The team will therefore depart on Monday at 4.30 pm on a charter flight from Florence and arrive in Zenica around 7 pm for the usual pre-match activities.