Italy add Finland to pre-Euro 2016 friendly menu

Italy will play Finland in a last-minute friendly before this summer's Euro 2016, the Italian football federation (FIGC) announced Wednesday. Italy, trounced 4-0 by Spain the final four years ago, travel to France this summer looking for big improvements after limping out of the 2014 World Cup at the first round for the second successive edition. The Azzurri, led by future Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, recently held 2010 world champions Spain to a 1-1 draw in Udine only to suffer a 4-1 thumping at the hands of current world champions Germany in Munich four days later. Italy, who will face Belgium, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden in Group E, will face Scotland in a friendly in Malta on May 29. Two days later, on May 31, Conte will confirm his 23-man Euro 2016 squad to European football's ruling body UEFA. A week before their opening match of Euro 2016, away to Belgium in Lyon, Italy will host Finland at the Marcantonio Bentegodi stadium. The return to the venue, the home of Serie A club Verona, comes 27 years after Italy were held 1-1 by Uruguay in an April, 1989 friendly. In previous games against Finland, Italy have come out largely on top, claiming 10 wins, one draw and losing just once, although that defeat came at the 1912 Olympic Games.