EURO 2024 | Billy Costacurta impressed with Italy’s Bastoni-Calafiori defensive partnership | OneFootball

On the eve of Italy’s Group B showdown with Spain at Euro 2024. Azzurri and Milan playing legend, Alessandro “Billy” Costacurta has been praising the Azzurri’s new-look central defensive partnership.

Alessandro Bastoni and Riccardo Calafiori maybe in their early stages of their international careers, but their performance against Albania in the opening group game, has left Costacurta in no doubt about the qualities.

Speaking to La Repubblica (via tuttomercatoweb) Costacurta explained that they where;

“The strongest at Euro 2024 in offensive play, I have carefully observed all the others. I won’t say that Calafiori has expressed himself as a veteran, but almost. They are confident in their technical skills, less so in their defensive skills. They will need a good organization to support them.”

Coach Luciano Spalletti is expected to name an unchanged starting line-up for the match in Gelsenkirchen, with Bastoni and Calafiori likely to be given the responsibility of repelling the Spanish forwards, who looked impressive in their matchday one win over Croatia.

Costacurta won 59 caps for his country and played in three major tournaments – The World Cup in the USA in 1994, where the Azzurri finished as runners-up to Brazil, Euro 96 in England and the 1998 World Cup in France.

Steve Mitchell | GIFN