The 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Group I of the European zone will see another round of competition, with Italy traveling to face Moldova. Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso stated at a press conference that the players' love and passion for the national team jersey must not be diminished, and he hopes to see Italy return to the World Cup stage.

Italy defeated Israel 3-0 at home in the last round of qualifiers, thanks to a brace from Retegui and a goal from Gianluca Mancini. With this victory, Italy now sits second in Group I with 15 points, three points behind leaders Norway.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso stated at a press conference, "There are no easy matches in Europe, not even when I was playing or when Lippi was coaching. I recently spoke with Buffon about this, back when we beat Moldova 3-1 under Sacchi. We must respect Moldova because people always think of their 1-11 defeat to Norway, but that was just an isolated incident. We've had a tough time against them at home before, so we need to have the utmost respect for them tomorrow."

“I can confirm that there will be many adjustments to the team, but that’s because I have complete faith in my players. Their attitude in training this week deserves this opportunity, and this is not a random rotation. Goalkeeper Vicario will start instead of Donnarumma. Gabbia will not start, but he will also get playing time.”

Speaking about Dimarco, who plays for Inter Milan, Gattuso said, "Some people previously thought that Dimarco could only play 60 to 65 minutes per game at most, but he has worked hard to get rid of that label, and he has been putting in excellent performances recently. I confirm that there will be rotation tomorrow, and Dimarco will get a rest."

Regarding Italy's goals for the World Cup, Gattuso said, "Sports is full of emotion when you see someone carrying the national flag onto the field. Hearing that six or seven million people watch the national team's matches every day makes me very proud, and we hope to make people fall in love with this team again."

"The love for this jersey is something we can never lose. I can feel that passion every time I meet the fans at every stadium, and our players must feel the same way. We all want to see Italy on the World Cup stage."