Palestra earns Italy call as Kean returns
Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso has handed a first call-up to the young Cagliari wing-back and recalled the Fiorentina forward for the UEFA play-offs.
Italy have named a 28-player squad for the European play-offs as the Azzurri bid to avoid missing out on a third successive FIFA World Cup™.
Head coach Gennaro Gattuso's men will take on Northern Ireland on 26 March in Bergamo in the Path A semi-final, with a trip to either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina awaiting on 31 March, should they progress. The winners of that Path A final will qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Moise Kean, who has missed the last three Italy matches through injury, returns in good form after netting three times in his last five Serie A matches for Fiorentina. He had been on a run of six strikes in four for the Azzurri, and is the joint-highest scorer in the party with 11 goals in 24 caps.
Young wing-back Marco Palestra has impressed at Cagliari with his power and ability with both feet. First call-ups have also arrived for Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini and Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli.
After initially opting for a four-man defence, the form of Federico Dimarco, Riccardo Calafiori, and Sandro Tonali means Gattuso is more likely to opt for a 3-5-2 system. The inclusion of Nicolo Cambiaghi, Francesco Pio Esposito, Kean and Mateo Retegui increases the likelihood of a two-striker formation.
Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa had initially been included in the squad following almost two years out of the Azzurri setup, but was deemed unavailable for selection due to fitness issues. He was replaced in the squad by Bologna's Cambiaghi.
Elia Caprile (Cagliari) Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta) Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City) Alex Meret (Napoli)
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli) Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal) Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus) Diego Coppola (Paris FC) Federico Dimarco (Inter) Federico Gatti (Juventus) Gianluca Mancini (Roma) Marco Palestra (Cagliari) Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta) Leonardo Spinazzola (Napoli)
Nicolo Barella (Inter) Bryan Cristante (Roma) Davide Frattesi (Inter) Manuel Locatelli (Juventus) Nicolo Pisilli (Roma) Sandro Tonali (Newcastle)
Nicolo Cambiaghi (Bologna) Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter) Moise Kean (Fiorentina) Matteo Politano (Napoli) Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta) Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah) Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
Italy’s last World Cup match was at Brazil 2014 against Uruguay, which for a national team that has won the FIFA World Cup four times and participated in 18 editions, marks a lengthy absence.
In the qualifying phase for the two following editions, the Azzurri were eliminated in the play-offs both times: in November 2017, Sweden broke Italy's hearts with a 1-0 win in the first leg and a 0-0 draw at San Siro. In the qualifiers for Qatar 2022, Italy failed at the first hurdle, losing to North Macedonia in Path C thanks to a last-gasp goal from Aleksandar Trajkovski.
Should Italy qualify, they will be placed in Group B alongside co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland. Their potential debut would be against Canada on 12 June at Toronto Stadium, followed by a match against Switzerland on 18 June in Los Angeles, and finally against Qatar on 24 June in Seattle.