Piccini and Barella: Friends through coincidence

The bwin Trofeo Naranja will see two friends face off at Mestalla, as Cristiano Piccini goes up against Nicolò Barella. The Valencia CF left back first met the Internazionale midfielder in October of 2018 in Coverciano, when the Italian national team prepared for a friendly game against Ukraine, and since then they have become close confidants.

Due to an injury to Danilo D’Ambrosio, then-coach Roberto Mancini brought Piccini up into the senior squad for the first time -after previous appearances for the Under-20s and Under-21s sides. He would thus make his debut the same day as Barella, in a curious coincidence.

It was a first experience of full international action for both players, and since then Piccini has continued to develop into a great defensive talent at VCF, whilst Barella has become a game-changing midfield maestro.

Both are preparing for a demanding season at club level, and want to revitalise the Italian national team after their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia last summer.

Before that, they go head to head in Valencia CF's showcase game, in front of over 39,000 fans.