Defender Davide Calabria has been included in Luciano Spalletti’s Italy squad for the final two European Championship qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine. Calabria, who hasn’t played for the national team since June 2022, was selected due to his impressive performances for AC Milan. However, Lazio captain Ciro Immobile was not included in the squad, despite his recent good form for Lazio, including scoring the only goal in their Champions League home win against Feyenoord. This will be the first call-up for Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso and Monza midfielder Andrea Colpani.
Italy is currently third in Group C with 10 points, three points behind Ukraine but with a game in hand. They will face North Macedonia on November 17, a team they haven’t beaten in their last three encounters. Their final match will be against Ukraine in Leverkusen on November 20, which will determine the second automatic qualification spot. England, who are at the top of the standings with 16 points, have already secured their spot in next year’s finals in Germany.
The squad for the qualifiers includes goalkeepers Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Ivan Provedel, and Guglielmo Vicario. The defenders selected are Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Alessandro Buongiorno, Davide Calabria, Andrea Cambiaso, Matteo Darmian, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, Federico Gatti, and Rafael Toloi. The midfielders in the squad are Nicolo Barella, Giacomo Bonaventura, Andrea Colpani, Bryan Cristante, Davide Frattesi, Jorginho, and Manuel Locatelli. The forwards included are Domenico Berardi, Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy, Moise Kean, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, and Nicolo Zaniolo.
The article was reported by Tommy Lund in Gdansk and edited by Christian Radnedge. The Thomson RushHourDaily Trust Principles apply.
