Italy Under-21 boss Pierluigi Casiraghi has admitted that he is dreaming of leading his side to Gold at next month’s Olympic Games.

The Azzurrini travel to Beijing in confident mood following their victory at the Toulon Tournament in May, and they will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy alongside the likes of Argentina, Brazil and the Netherlands.

“We are preparing well for the Olympics, which in my opinion are worth as much as a World Cup or a European Championship,” said former Italy, Lazio and Chelsea striker Casiraghi.

“It’s a great adventure and a huge professional and human experience.”

Italy have received a fairly decent draw, as they have been placed in Group D with Cameroon, Honduras and South Korea.

“The dream is to win the gold medal, but there are lots of other teams also looking to do that,” Casiraghi continued.

“We will see if we can succeed. I am very happy and I have great faith in this squad.

“There’s so much talent and Spain have taught us how to show your quality when they organised themselves and won Euro 2008.”

The Azzurrini will meet Alexandre Pato’s Brazil in the quarter final, if one side wins their group, and the other finishes as runners-up.