Roberto Mancini has called up 28 players for the pivotal matches against Switzerland and Northern Ireland. The coach will have a larger roster at his disposal compared to the Nations League. As a result, Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo will make their Italy return after extended absences.
The 2⃣8⃣ players called up by Roberto Mancini for the upcoming #WCQ fixtures against Switzerland and Northern Ireland ?#Azzurri ?? #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/CMjU5YswIZ
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) November 5, 2021
The only newcomer is Tommaso Pobega, who could debut with the Azzurri after an excellent start of the season with Torino. Ciro Immobile and Andrea Belotti are back after missing the previous round due to injury. Instead, Moise Kean is unavailable due to a thigh problem.
Mancini has selected the same frontline as for Euro 2020. Instead, he can not rely on Rafael Toloi, Leonardo Spinazzola, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti due to physical problems. Davide Calabria, Cristiano Biraghi and Lorenzo Pellegrini will fill in for them, on top of the new additions.
Italy will need to defeat Switzerland on November 12th in order to take sole control of the group. They will then travel to Belfast on November 15th to finish things off. Only the first-placed team qualifies directly to Qatar 2022. The runner-up will have to go through the playoffs.
Despite the early announcements, the technical-scientifical committee has not given his green light to have full capacity at the Stadio Olimpico. The COVID infections have spiked again in Italy in recent days. The latest report by news agency Ansa indicates that the body will nix the proposal.