This Saturday's shock is this. During the first day of group A, the eternal rivals German and Italian will meet Bologna at the League of Nations.
Italy was absent from the 2022 World Cup. It was defeated 3-0 by Argentina during the Intercontinental Nations Cup.
The march against the Germans will be swift, as they haven't lost a match since Hansi Flick was appointed coach in September 2021.
In a press conference, the former Bayern Munich coach stated that Germany must be "one of the top teams in the world" once more. This objective would be achieved by a successful team in Italy, which only twice happened in 12 trips. It would also send a strong signal five month before the World Cup in Qatar.
The second match in League A will be against England and Hungary in front of 35,000 spectators at the Puskas Arena. This is despite UEFA's closed session following homophobic and racist slogans during Euro.
The Hungarian Federation has taken advantage of a provision in the European body that allows children under 14 to be invited to football clubs, provided they are accompanied by one adult. (UEFA Article 73 requires at least one adult per 10 children).
Gareth Southgate (England coach) said in a Friday press conference that "a real surprise for us all." The Three Lions will need to overlook this context if they are to beat the least-respected opponent in the group, Phil Foden, who is positive for Covid-19.
Other matches will feature Romania, Turkey, and Ireland on deck.
