Sandro Tonali appeared set for his Italy return. Instead, he will stay with the U-21 team for the upcoming Euro qualifiers. Roberto Mancini selected Federico Dimarco to replace the injured Matteo Pessina. The substitution is final. The fullback has tallied one goal and two assists since coming back to Inter. He will have the chance to make his debut with the Azzurri.
The plans of Mancini of confirming the entire Euro 2020 group went up in smokes due to multiple injuries. Ciro Immobile suffered a small thigh problem against Lokomotiv Moscow, missed the Bologna game, and will look to recuperate during the break. Rafael Toloi was a late scratch for Atalanta-Milan and is dealing with a similar issue. Matteo Pessina was stretchered off in that tilt with a severe muscular injury.
The Italy coach called up Moise Kean to fill out the frontline. The returning Juventus striker was one of the late cuts ahead of the Euro, losing out to Giacomo Raspadori. Still, Mancini will likely opt for a light attack for the Nations League semi-final versus Spain. Lorenzo Insigne featured as a false-nine in the summer, and Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi did it with Juventus in recent matches.
Instead, Davide Calabria will fill in Rafael Toloi. The fullback was in the running to make the roster for the traveling competition, but he had to undergo sports-hernia surgery in the offseason. Nicolò Zaniolo was the first choice for the open spot in the midfield but will miss out with a small injury as well.