After the U-19 national team’s friendlies against Italy, the Albania U-17 team will face their Italian peers.

Coach Fatjon Tafaj will debut as U-17 head coach in two friendlies on August 11 and 13 in Coverciano, Italy. He called up 22 players for these matches. The squad includes 3 goalkeepers, 9 defenders, 5 midfielders, and 5 forwards.

The team features new names compared to recent European Championship qualifiers and finals.

All players were born in 2009. They come from Albanian clubs and European academies such as Inter, Tottenham, Fiorentina, Bologna, and Empoli.

The squad will start gathering tomorrow in Italy to prepare for the two games against Italy.

These matches offer a good test ahead of the next European Championship qualifiers. Albania plays in Group 8 with Croatia, the Netherlands, and Kazakhstan.

/a.p./