Italy coach Roberto Mancini denies they're favourites facing North Macedonia in their World Cup playoffs.
The winners of that game will go on to face either Portugal or Turkey for a spot at the 2022 World Cup.
“We haven't had much time, the lads had to recover from long journeys and lots of games, so we only really had half a day to try out tactical situations," said Mancini in the press conference.
“This is why we focused on the same lads who won the Euros, as they know each other and what we need to do.
“This is the life of a sporting figure, there are highs and lows, we all wish that we could only experience victories. All we need to do is be concentrated on ourselves. Italy play good football and we have to focus on nothing more."
He continued: “We all start from scratch, every game begins at 0-0 and anything can happen over 90 minutes.
“I don't see any favourites, as every match must be played, including those that might seem easy on paper.
“North Macedonia defend well and have good technique, don't forget they won away to Germany in the qualifiers. We need patience, but it starts from 0-0, it's not like we need to overturn a result."
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