(Reuters) – The Italy squad for this month’s final two European Championship qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine has been announced by Luciano Spalletti, with AC Milan defender Davide Calabria returning to the team after being left out since June 2022. The skipper, who has put on impressive performances for his club, has been included in the 29-player squad. On the other hand, Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has been left out despite recent good form and a crucial goal in the Champions League.
Two new faces in the squad are Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso and Monza midfielder Andrea Colpani, who received their first call-ups.
Italy is currently third in Group C, three points behind Ukraine but with a game in hand. The team will play North Macedonia on Nov. 17, a team they have not beaten in their last three encounters. They will conclude their campaign against Ukraine on Nov. 20, a match that will determine who gets the second automatic qualification spot, with England already qualified for next year’s finals in Germany.
The goalkeepers in the squad are Gianluigi Donnarumma, Alex Meret, Ivan Provedel, and Guglielmo Vicario. The defenders include 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, while the forwards are Domenico Berardi, Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy, Moise Kean, Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, and Nicolo Zaniolo.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
