Euro 2016: Italy to change it up against Ireland

Italy coach Antonio Conte has said that he will rotate his squad in their final Group E match against Ireland after they secured their place in the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Sweden on Friday.

But Conte, who will rest some of his more established stars, insists the Azzurri will still be chasing all three points when the sides meet in Lille next Wednesday, regardless of today’s result against Sweden.

Conte also said he wants more of the team's supporters at Euro 2016 to show their pride by wearing blue shirts in Lille. Conte was impressed by the vast number of Swedish supporters inside the stadium in Toulouse wearing their side's bright yellow shirts. Italy, in contrast, looked under-represented in the stadium.

“Whether our supporters are living in Italy or living elsewhere, I want them to put on a blue shirt,” he said. “When you see everyone in a yellow (Swedish) shirt, it’s fantastic. Just a blue t-shirt if you want. There were 9,000 (Italian) fans but they were all quite dispersed.

“I want everyone to be involved.”

As often happens, Italy went into a major tournament amid media criticism, which Conte believes they have now answered with the wins over Belgium (2-0) and Sweden. “We’re starting to get the respect very few people gave us,” he said. “Very few would have envisaged us making the last 16 after two matches. A number questioned whether we’d get through the group.

“It’s a huge achievement.”