Roberto Mancini has announced his 29-man squad for Italy’s upcoming Nations League clashes against England and Hungary, sticking mostly to familiar faces.
The Azzurri will not be taking part in the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, so their upcoming two Nations League games are slightly more relevant than those taking part in the tournament. Whilst other nations are warming up for Qatar, Italy are preparing for a new path ahead of their next major tournament, Euro 2024.
Mancini did not take any major risks with his call-ups, with 26 of the 29 having experience with the Azzurri first team. The only three new faces are Lazio’s Ivan Provedel, Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario and Salernitana’s Pasquale Mazzocchi.
Many expected to see some new blood tested in the Nations League games, like Udinese‘s Destiny Udogie or Juventus’ Fabio Miretti, but neither were given the nod.
Italy’s call-ups for the Nations League matches
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Emerson Palmieri (West Ham), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Luiz Felipe (Betis Siviglia), Pasquale Mazzocchi (Salernitana), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Tommaso Pobega (Milan), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain);
Forwards: Matteo Cancellieri (Lazio), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds), Vincenzo Grifo (Friburgo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Gianluca Scamacca (West Ham), Alessio Zerbin (Napoli).
