Luciano Spalletti's Italy announce squad for upcoming UEFA Nations League games

Rajarshi has been part of Khel Now since 2022, and he covers world football.

Published at :September 3, 2024 at 10:05 PM

Modified at :September 3, 2024 at 10:05 PM

Gli Azzurri will face Israel and France in the September break.

Luciano Spalletti has confirmed his squad that will play in the UEFA Nations League in September. They come from another disappointing elimination, this time from the Euro 2024.

Considering that Italy were the defending champions, their elimination from the competition against Switzerland in the round of 16 was one of the major upsets of the event.

Italy have endured some tough times ever since their Euro 2020 Championship victory over England in the final. They failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Subsequently, Roberto Mancini decided to step down as the national team coach.

Gli Azzurri then appointed former Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti as the new head coach. Under him, the team have played decent football as they continue to build on from their poor showing in past tournaments.

However, the good news for them is that Sandro Tonali is back in the squad. The midfielder was suspended from participating in a good number of matches due to a betting ban.

Spalletti has decided to give chances to other players as well. He has called up Leicester City defender Caleb Okoli, who took part in a few training camps in 2022, and Atalanta midfielder Marco Brescianini. Another surprise inclusion has been Moise Kean. Kean joins the national side for the first time since November 2023.

However, Nico Barella has not been called up. The team wants to allow him to undergo a planned nose operation due to sinus problems. Italy will face Israel and France in their Nations League matches in September.

Italy’s squad for UEFA Nations League’s September games

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Marco Brescianini (Atalanta), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle)

Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)

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Rajarshi Shukla

After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.