Italy Announces Squad for Upcoming European Championship Qualifiers

 Italy Announces Squad for Upcoming European Championship Qualifiers

Italy Announces Squad for Upcoming European Championship Qualifiers(Image-Getty)

Italy's new manager, Luciano Spalletti, has unveiled his first squad, consisting of 29 players, for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers. Notably, there is no place for experienced defender Leonardo Bonucci, who recently joined Union Berlin, despite being Italy's most recent captain.

One of the significant inclusions in the squad is midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who played a pivotal role in Italy's Euro 2020 triumph. However, he had not been called up to the national team since 2022 during Roberto Mancini's tenure as manager.

Several other long-term absentees, including Mattia Zaccagni from Lazio and Gianluca Mancini from AS Roma, have earned their spots in the squad. Additionally, Lazio defender Nicolo Casale has received his first call-up to the national team.

Luciano Spalletti's debut as Italy's manager will coincide with their Euro 2024 qualifier in North Macedonia on September 9. Three days later, Italy will host Ukraine in another qualifier.

Spalletti, who led Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years last season, took over the national team after Roberto Mancini resigned last month.

As of now, Italy stands in third place in Group C with three points from two matches. They trail group leaders England, who have accumulated 12 points from four matches, and Ukraine, who have six points from three matches.

Squad:

Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur)

Defenders:

Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Nicolo Casale (Lazio), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma), Alessio Romagnoli (Lazio), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma)

Midfielders:

 Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Monza), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United)

Forwards:

 Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa)