Italy national football team head coach Gennaro Gattuso said he is not worried about the atmosphere that Bosnia and Herzegovina fans will create during the decisive World Cup qualifying playoff.
The match in Zenica is tonight at 9:45 p.m., and the winner will qualify for the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada in the summer.
Both Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina missed the last two World Cups - in Russia and Qatar, so the upcoming match is of great importance for both teams. In recent days, Zenica has been experiencing rain and snow, which is why the Italian team arrived at the last minute before the match.
"All these are excuses. The pitch is the same for both teams. This match has to be played. We cannot afford to think about what the pitch is like or what is happening in the stands. That would be a sign of weakness. I have already seen the pitch, it is good. But even if it was bad, there is nothing we can do", Gattuso told reporters.
"We have enormous respect for the Bosnian team for what they show on the pitch. As for the fans, they are not the ones who score goals. I've never seen this happen before," the former Milan player said.
In the semi-final play-off a few days ago, Italy achieved a home victory over Northern Ireland, which secured tonight's match with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"We came out with the wrong tactics that night. But we are no longer the team of seven months ago, who conceded goals easily and who could not maintain their structure. Yes, we still do not play ultra-offensive football and we are not brilliant, but right now I want to see a solid team that suffers less, even if it does not play beautifully," added Gattuso.
He was also asked if he would stay in his position if Italy failed to qualify.
"There are other people whose job it is to decide what will happen. What I think, I will keep to myself," replied Gattuso.