Rome: Italy's bid to rebuild after a humiliating World Cup faces its first test on Thursday in the shape of a Dutch squad also embarking on a new era. With new coach Antonio Conte having eschewed the services of Liverpool recruit Mario Balotelli, Italy will be at far from full strength for a friendly at Bari that will serve as a warm-up to tricky competitive encounters for both sides.

Italy face Norway in Oslo next week while the Dutch travel to the Czech Republic in their first Euro 2016 qualifiers. The match against a Dutch side that reached the semi-finals in Brazil offers the Azzurri the opportunity to reclaim some pride after the morale-shredding ignominy of exiting the World Cup at the group stage.