Davide Calabria was set to make his Italy return, but he bowed out after suffering a minor thigh problem against Lecce. Luciano Spalletti has called up two right-backs, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Matteo Darmian. The former has to serve a disqualification in Friday’s game versus North Macedonia.
The Azzurri also lost another player who can fill in there, Rafael Toloi, due to a calf injury. The boss has decided not to select new players at this stage. However, that could still change, Corriere dello Sport informs (via Tuttomercatoweb).
Italy doesn’t have many more options at right back. Manuel Lazzari is next in line should Spalletti go for a larger roster. The Lazio defender has played consistently in recent games after paying the price for more defensive-minded choices early on. He has started in five of the last six matches.
Michael Kayode would have likely been part of the squad after his excellent performances with Fiorentina. However, he’s on the mend due to an ankle sprain. The Italy gaffer will choose in the next couple of days. If he ultimately elects to stand pat, Andrea Cambiaso will be the backup on both flanks since Federico Dimarco is the only left-back in the squad. He played on the right in the most recent Juventus fixture since Timothy Weah was unavailable and Weston McKennie had to feature centrally without Adrien Rabiot.
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