After a disappointing draw against Bosnia followed by a dominating victory over the Netherlands, Italy are set to resume its Euro Nations League campaign as they will be hosted by Poland on October 11 and then welcome the Netherlands for an encounter at Bergamo on October 14. But before all that, the Azzurri will play a friendly against European minnows Moldova in Florence on October 7. Now let’s take a look at the 34 players called up by the national team coach Roberto Mancini for Italy’s next three encounters:
Goalkeepers
Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma has cemented himself as Italy’s number one in recent years and should be expected to start in the two Nations League matches.
Meanwhile, the other 3 called-up shot-stoppers, Cagliari’s Alessio Cragno, Torino’s Salvatore Sirigu and the newcomer Verona’s Marco Silvestri will be hoping to be handed an opportunity in the Moldova friendly.
Notable absentees include Genoa’s Mattia Perin who recently tested positive for Covid-19, and Alex Meret who’s struggling for playing time at Napoli.
Defenders
In the heart of the defense, we’ll likely see Juventus veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci starting in the Nations League matches, with Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi as the alternative. The other options at Center-Back are Roma’s Gianluca Mancini and West Ham United’s Angelo Ogbonna who receives a call-up for Italy after a long layoff.
In the full-back positions, we’ll witness a fierce competition for the starting spots. On the right flank Inter’s Danilo D’Ambrosio could be the favorite for the role, but PSG new boy Alessandro Florenzi and Lazio’s Manuel Lazzari are both capable options.
On the left flank, Roma’s Leonardo Spinazzola was arguably the man of the match against the Netherlands, but Fiorentina’s Cristiano Biraghi will try to earn his spot back in the starting lineup. Chelsea man Emerson Palmieri will be the least likely option.
Midfield
Roberto Mancini will be thrilled with the return of Marco Verratti to his squad, as the PSG star should reunite with Chelsea’s Jorginho in the middle of the park, while Inter’s Nicolò Barella could complete the midfield trio ahead of his teammate Stefano Sensi.
Other options include Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli who did well in his last outing against the Netherlands, as well as Roma duo Lorenzo Pellegrini and Bryan Crsitante and finally Fiorentina men Gaetano Castrovilli and Giacomo Bonaventura.
Attack
Last season’s Golden-Shoe winner Ciro Immobile should lead the front line once again, even though Torino captain Andrea Belotti could end up starting one of the matches instead of Lazio man, with Sassuolo’s Francesco Caputo and Udinese’s Kevin Lasagna being the outside bets in this one.
In the absence of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, Fiorentina’s Federico Chiesa will be the main man on the wing, with Everton’s Moise Kean and Sassuolo star Domenico Berardi the most likely options to complete the attacking trio. The other alternatives for the wing positions are Shanghai Shenhua’s Stefan El Shaarawy and Freiburg’s Vicenzo Grifo who were also able to earn an Italy call-up.