Leonardo Bonucci spoke to Uefa.com in the build-up towards Friday's first leg of the World Cup 2018 playoff between Sweden and Italy: "They will be two difficult games and we can't forget that Sweden finished ahead of the Netherlands in their group. After saying this, we are Italy. Not qualifying for the World Cup is not a possible option. Sweden has a squad that has been able to react to the loss of Ibrahimovic with a fast-paced and compacted game and willing to fight for every ball. We have to impose our game with humility, sacrifice and the will to fight because that is how Italy wins. We won't forget the last World Cup that we won and the chaos that accompanied it. That group was closely knit and followed Marcello Lippi. Our strength is to remain united in difficult moments."
Bonucci commented on the complications that the Italian national team have been suffering from of late: "The defeat against Spain has created some problems because we thought we were on the same level as Spain but the result said otherwise. This, naturally, brought uncertainty, but we have to remember that we are going through a rebuilding phase which requires patience. The veterans, like me, motivate the younger players to ensure that they always give 100%."
