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WANDERERS will be looking to wrap up their pre-season campaign in style when Neil Lennon's men run out for their only home friendly against Italy's Chievo Verona on July 31.
The Serie A side were confirmed last week as the opponents for the final warm-up game ahead of the 2015-16 Championship campaign.
But while the yellow-blues will be visiting the Macron Stadium for the first time, they are not the first Italian job for the Whites in pre-season preparations.
The last top-flight side from Italy to visit the Macron were Internazionale of Milan back in August 2004.
An entertaining encounter was settled by a single goal from Brazilian striker Adriano who struck 21 minutes from time after being brought on by newly-appointed Inter boss Roberto Mancini at half time.
It was a friendly that featured many big-name stars such as ex-Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastien Veron and Edgar Davids but before Adriano's introduction it had been Wanderers who had looked the more threatening with Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo both going close to beating Francesco Toldo in the visitors' goal in the first period.
But it was the men from the San Siro who took the spoils against Sam Allardyce's side.
Two years earlier, however, Wanderers beat their Italian visitors – Chievo's city rivals Hellas Verona in a home friendly.
Hellas stepped in when another Italian outfit, Fiorentina, pulled out.
Goals from Youri Djorkaeff and JonathanWalters settled the friendly in front of what was a disappointing home crowd of just 3,993.
The visitors' misery was compounded when defender Gianluca Colluci was sent off after kicking the ball at the assistant referee in frustration following Djorkaeff's opener.
There was something of an Italian theme to the pre-season preparations in 2002.
Big Sam's team had earlier spent time at a training camp in the Alps, in the spa town of Bormio and beaten a host side 13-0 in a warm-up.
Delroy Facey marked his first Wanderers appearance with a hat-trick as the Whites destroyed their weak Italian opposition, while fellow front men Michael Ricketts and Dean Holdsworth both bagged braces.
Kevin Nolan also netted twice, while the other goals were shared between Ricardo Gardner, Henrik Pedersen, Ryan Baldachinno and Jermaine Johnson.
The opening fixture of their three-game Italian tour was split into three 30-minute periods to allow both managers to tinker with tactics and formation changes.
It could have been an even bigger winning margin were in not for Whites trialist Sebastian Chabbert, who agreed to play in goal for the Italians and pulled off five decent saves.
Six days later, the tour ended with a 2-0 defeat to Inter in Reggio Emilia.
The locals cheered Whites star and Inter legend Youri Djorkaeff from the start but it was their current icon Alvaro Recoba that stole the show.
The Uruguayan, who came on after 57 minutes, set up an opener for Bernardo Corradi before netting a stunning clincher five minutes from time.
While the recent meeting with Italian opposition have been on a friendly basis, the Whites have played competitive action against counterparts from that country.
Wanderers took part in the Anglo-Italian Cup back in 1993 and faced four games against opposition from the equivalent second-tier in Italy.
After opening wins against Tranmere and Sunderland, the international stage of the competition got off to a great start for Bruce Rioch's men at Burnden Park with a 5-0 thumping of 10-man Ancona.
John McGinlay netted an early opener but it was in the second half that Wanderers started to motor.
Jason McAteer, Alan Thompson and McGinlay again made it 4-0 before Jimmy Phillips rounded it off eight minutes from time in front of 3,448 fans.
The second outing, overseen by top Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, was a much-closer affair as the Whites drew 3-3 with a Brescia side that included Gheorghe Hagi.
Goals from Owen Coyle, McGinlay and Scott Green extended the unbeaten run in the competition.
November 1993 saw the Whites play their first competitive match on foreign soil and they drew 1-1 in Pisa thanks to Phillips' venomous 20-yard strike that delighted the 500 travelling fans in a crowd of 1,000.
But their adventure ended the following month despite another 1-1 draw – this time at Ascoli.
Mark Seagraves netted a last-gasp leveller with the Whites' only shot on target but despite their unbeaten run, Wanderers finished behind Notts County in the English group.
Another unbeaten Italian job on July 31 would be just the way to finish preparations this time around for Lennon and his team.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13320317.Bolton_Wanderers_looking_to_add_Chievo_Verona_to_list_of_Italian_scalps/
The Serie A side were confirmed last week as the opponents for the final warm-up game ahead of the 2015-16 Championship campaign.
But while the yellow-blues will be visiting the Macron Stadium for the first time, they are not the first Italian job for the Whites in pre-season preparations.
The last top-flight side from Italy to visit the Macron were Internazionale of Milan back in August 2004.
An entertaining encounter was settled by a single goal from Brazilian striker Adriano who struck 21 minutes from time after being brought on by newly-appointed Inter boss Roberto Mancini at half time.
It was a friendly that featured many big-name stars such as ex-Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastien Veron and Edgar Davids but before Adriano's introduction it had been Wanderers who had looked the more threatening with Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo both going close to beating Francesco Toldo in the visitors' goal in the first period.
But it was the men from the San Siro who took the spoils against Sam Allardyce's side.
Two years earlier, however, Wanderers beat their Italian visitors – Chievo's city rivals Hellas Verona in a home friendly.
Hellas stepped in when another Italian outfit, Fiorentina, pulled out.
Goals from Youri Djorkaeff and JonathanWalters settled the friendly in front of what was a disappointing home crowd of just 3,993.
The visitors' misery was compounded when defender Gianluca Colluci was sent off after kicking the ball at the assistant referee in frustration following Djorkaeff's opener.
There was something of an Italian theme to the pre-season preparations in 2002.
Big Sam's team had earlier spent time at a training camp in the Alps, in the spa town of Bormio and beaten a host side 13-0 in a warm-up.
Delroy Facey marked his first Wanderers appearance with a hat-trick as the Whites destroyed their weak Italian opposition, while fellow front men Michael Ricketts and Dean Holdsworth both bagged braces.
Kevin Nolan also netted twice, while the other goals were shared between Ricardo Gardner, Henrik Pedersen, Ryan Baldachinno and Jermaine Johnson.
The opening fixture of their three-game Italian tour was split into three 30-minute periods to allow both managers to tinker with tactics and formation changes.
It could have been an even bigger winning margin were in not for Whites trialist Sebastian Chabbert, who agreed to play in goal for the Italians and pulled off five decent saves.
Six days later, the tour ended with a 2-0 defeat to Inter in Reggio Emilia.
The locals cheered Whites star and Inter legend Youri Djorkaeff from the start but it was their current icon Alvaro Recoba that stole the show.
The Uruguayan, who came on after 57 minutes, set up an opener for Bernardo Corradi before netting a stunning clincher five minutes from time.
While the recent meeting with Italian opposition have been on a friendly basis, the Whites have played competitive action against counterparts from that country.
Wanderers took part in the Anglo-Italian Cup back in 1993 and faced four games against opposition from the equivalent second-tier in Italy.
After opening wins against Tranmere and Sunderland, the international stage of the competition got off to a great start for Bruce Rioch's men at Burnden Park with a 5-0 thumping of 10-man Ancona.
John McGinlay netted an early opener but it was in the second half that Wanderers started to motor.
Jason McAteer, Alan Thompson and McGinlay again made it 4-0 before Jimmy Phillips rounded it off eight minutes from time in front of 3,448 fans.
The second outing, overseen by top Italian referee Pierluigi Collina, was a much-closer affair as the Whites drew 3-3 with a Brescia side that included Gheorghe Hagi.
Goals from Owen Coyle, McGinlay and Scott Green extended the unbeaten run in the competition.
November 1993 saw the Whites play their first competitive match on foreign soil and they drew 1-1 in Pisa thanks to Phillips' venomous 20-yard strike that delighted the 500 travelling fans in a crowd of 1,000.
But their adventure ended the following month despite another 1-1 draw – this time at Ascoli.
Mark Seagraves netted a last-gasp leveller with the Whites' only shot on target but despite their unbeaten run, Wanderers finished behind Notts County in the English group.
Another unbeaten Italian job on July 31 would be just the way to finish preparations this time around for Lennon and his team.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13320317.Bolton_Wanderers_looking_to_add_Chievo_Verona_to_list_of_Italian_scalps/
