Gattuso says Italy's World Cup playoff 'biggest match' of career

Gennaro Gattuso on Wednesday called Italy's World Cup playoff semifinal against Northern Ireland the most important match of his coaching career.

The Azzurri host the Northern Irish in Bergamo on Thursday trying to end a 12-year absence at the World Cup finals after failing to qualify for the last two editions in Russia and Qatar.

"Tomorrow is definitely the most important match of my career," Gattuso told reporters.

"But I'm prepared... I'm not thinking about if things go badly, I want to think positively, think big, and tomorrow we'll give it our best."

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Gattuso admitted that for him Thursday's match is in a way even bigger than the 2006 World Cup final, which he won as a player for Italy following a penalty shootout against France.

Italy haven't even played a knockout match at a World Cup since then, and eliminations in the qualifying playoffs in 2018 and 2022 have given Thursday's match huge significance.

Gattuso joked that he needed pills to help him sleep, otherwise he stays up through the night "like a bat" due to the pressure.

"That's another world, I stopped playing years ago and I can't even remember the matches I played," said Gattuso.

"There's no comparison really, not so much for the tension but for the responsibility that I've put on myself."

Gattuso added that most of his players were fit, and that Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni and Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca were the only doubts for the semifinal.

Striker Mateo Retegui has come back to Bergamo where he became Serie A top scorer with Atalanta in the 2024/25 season, and where ne netted twice in a 5-0 thumping of Estonia in September last year.

"We've spoken a lot about keeping calm, keeping things light and not thinking about it too much," said Retegui, who now plays for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia.

"We know that there's only one result for us, and that's to win."

If Italy get past Northern Ireland they will face one of Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on Tuesday.