Italy's Euro Qualifiers Squad: Udogie Debut, Pellegrini Injury

 Italy's Euro Qualifiers Squad: Udogie Debut, Pellegrini Injury

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka under pressure from Tottenham's Destiny Udogie during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2023 in London, England. (Image-Getty)

The Italian national football team has made an intriguing inclusion in their squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Malta and England. In an announcement by the Italian football federation (FIGC) on Friday, it was revealed that Destiny Udogie, the young defender from Tottenham Hotspur, will make her debut appearance in the Italian squad.

This marks a significant moment for the 20-year-old, who originally hails from Udinese, as she has caught the attention of Azzurri manager Luciano Spalletti. Udogie's remarkable performances for Tottenham, where she has started in all seven of their Premier League matches this season, have earned her this call-up.

However, the Italian team will face a setback as midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini will be sidelined due to a muscle injury sustained during AS Roma's Europa League match against Servette.

Currently, Italy occupies the second position in Group C of the European Championship qualifiers, trailing England by six points but holding a game in hand over all their group rivals. Italy's upcoming matches include a fixture against bottom-placed Malta in Bari on October 14th and a highly-anticipated clash with England at Wembley three days later.

Here is the complete squad for Italy:

Goalkeepers:

 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris St Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur)

Defenders:

Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni (both Inter Milan), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma) , Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham)

Midfielders:

Nicolo Barella (Inter), Giacomo Bonaventura (Fiorentina), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United)

Attackers:

 Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Moise Kean (Juventus), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa)