© AP
Italian national team coach Roberto Mancini cautiously evaluates the World Cup qualifying draw announced yesterday. European champions will face Macedonia in the semi-finals of the knockout stage, and in the final, they would have to compete against the winner of the pair of Portugal and Turkey. "Of course, the draw could have been better. Surely, both us and the Portuguese will have to overcome our initial opponents. It's just one match, which always presents difficulties. We trust in our abilities and remain positive, especially when faced with more challenging situations. We would have gladly avoided Portugal, as they probably would have avoided us," said the coach. Mancini did not directly respond to the question of whether goalkeeper Jorginho would once again take penalty kicks during matches. "I hope they will be assigned to us," he added.
