Albania and Italy faced off in the EURO 2024 tournament, with Italy fielding a strong line-up that included Riccardo Calafiori in defence, Nicolò Barella in midfield, and Federico Chiesa supporting Gianluca Scamacca in their debut match. The game took place in Dortmund at 20.00 UK time, with Italy scheduled to play Spain and Croatia in their upcoming group phase matches.
Injury concerns led up to the game, but Barella was able to start alongside Jorginho in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Calafiori made only his third senior cap and joined the defence with Giovanni Di Lorenzo to create a three-man backline. Chiesa, Frattesi, and Pellegrini added depth and versatility to the Italian attack.
On the other hand, Albania featured several players familiar to Serie A fans, including Asllani, Djimsiti, Hysaj, Ismajli, Ramadani, and Bajrami. Chelsea-owned Armando Broja was highlighted as a player to watch in the Albanian attack, with interest from Milan in acquiring him.
The official line-ups for the match were Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Dimarco; Jorginho, Barella; Chiesa
