Gennaro Gattuso, the coach of the Italian national team, confirmed that the match against Northern Ireland in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs is the most important in his coaching career.

Gattuso spoke at the press conference, saying: "I have felt the pressure since day one. For seven months, I've been hearing the phrase 'lead us to the World Cup.' It's the most important match of my career. A comparison with 2006? Considering the responsibility I feel, there's no comparison. I have prepared well and don't want to think about the possibility of things going wrong. We will play with all our strength. Experience is important, but we will need to know how to endure and pay attention to what the opponent excels at, especially in one-on-one confrontations and second balls."

He added, "Players today are advanced and know their opponents well; we must sense danger and be prepared for it. They believe in every ball with strength, and we have to be ready. Regarding sleep, I thank our doctors, as some helpful tablets are beneficial; otherwise, I would find myself opening my eyes at four-thirty in the morning like a bat."

Regarding the words of former coach Marcello Lippi, Gattuso said: "They have influenced me. I keep in touch with him constantly because of everything we went through together, and I thank him for his kind words."

Regarding the injuries, he stated: "Mancini, Politano, and Calafiori are in good condition and have trained. Bastoni trained partially with the group and we will test him again. The doubts are only about Bastoni and Scamacca, as the latter did some work with the team."

Regarding penalty kicks: "We have practiced them, each player took three shots. Currently, Retegui is the primary taker, and then we'll see how the match unfolds... We must be prepared for anything."

When asked if there was a "Sinner" (likening to tennis champion Jannik Sinner) in the team, Gattuso replied: "It's the team spirit. We have important players, but I would like to see his (Sinner's) spirit in the entire team."

Regarding the fans, he clarified: "We cannot ask anything from anyone; we are the masters of our destiny. We need great calm and awareness that we are facing players who have 'venom.' It depends on us. There is no time to talk about the past, but about our goal. We must succeed in reaching the World Cup because it is essential for us."

It also stated: "We must be cautious of set pieces and their aggressiveness. Their player Spencer can hurt us when he attacks. They are a team that plays vertically and executes what they are good at very well. There are no easy matches anymore, and you must stay focused for 95 minutes."

The winner of the match between Italy and Northern Ireland is set to face the winner of the encounter between Wales and Bosnia on March 31, to determine the team that will qualify for the World Cup.