The Newcastle midfielder is ready for the World Cup play-offs.Sandro Tonali is gearing up for the World Cup play-offs. On 26 March, Italy face Northern Ireland in Bergamo, with a place in the final against the winner of Wales v Bosnia at stake. The Newcastle midfielder said in an interview with Sky Sport : “You’re always thinking about it because, ultimately, the moment is approaching; it’s impossible not to think about it. It always strikes you that it’s March now; it will be one of the most important matches for us in recent years, and we have to play perfectly. Every day, the tension and pressure are mounting. We have to be at 100%, play as we know how, and make it to the World Cup.”"We had a dinner in London with the other Italian players in the Premier League; we had a great time. We hadn’t seen each other since November, and it’s always nice to get together even when it’s not about football. I think it did us all good; it was lovely." "Gattuso is someone who inspired me a lot even before I knew him, because I took inspiration from the things I liked about him when he was playing. Then I got to know the real person: if he needs to tell you something, he’ll say it in half a second without beating about the bush. That’s good for us; we need people who tell us things to our faces and who give us a good telling-off if something isn’t right. That’s what we need today; that’s the reality. We’ve met someone who has given, is giving and will give his all. With a staff working towards that goal and for us.” Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting