Italy vs France Pio Esposito San Siro, Digi Mart USA News: According to Tuttosport, Pio Esposito hopes San Siro will bring him luck once again. Two days after scoring his tenth Serie A goal against Como, the Inter striker will return Thursday to his favorite stadium wearing the Italy jersey to face France.
The statistics give him reason for optimism. Seven of his ten Serie A goals have been scored inside the Milan stadium, including his three goals this season.
San Siro has become his true home ground.
The forward has also scored for the national team there, almost a year ago, against Norway. That evening ended painfully for Italy, which was beaten and forced into the playoffs for the World Cup.
Roberto Mancini now relies on him to revive a squad focused on youth, particularly with Moise Kean unavailable.
Esposito was also Italy’s most recent goalscorer, netting against Turkey in a 3-1 win on October 5. That seventh international goal made history: he is only the second Italian player to reach that total at or before the age of 21, after Giuseppe Meazza in 1931.
The stadium where he will play Thursday bears the name of that former Italian legend, adding another symbolic touch.
The match is expected to be sold out, with 62,000 tickets already sold and the possibility of opening the third tier due to demand. Esposito will reunite with Inter teammate Marcus Thuram, but he will also face Kylian Mbappe, the Ballon d’Or runner-up.
His brother Sebastiano is also in the squad and could even be paired with him. Mancini has tested several attacking configurations, with Pio up front and Sebastiano competing with Koleosho and Cambiaghi on the left wing.
Italy could therefore rely on a thoroughly young attack to beat France.
