Nice striker Mario Balotelli and Torino striker Andrea Belotti have been left out of the Italy squad for a friendly against Ukraine and a Nations League test in Poland but even more surprisingly Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco has been brought back, ANSA sources said Friday.
Roberto Mancini's squad will shortly be made official by the
Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC), the sources said.
The list will also see the return after a long spell out of
Lazio centre-back Francesco Acerbi.
Twenty-five-year-old Sampdoria striker Gianluca Caprari gets
his first call-up.
PSG midfielder Marco Verratti and Roma flanker Alessandro
Florenzi return from injury.
Looking ahead to next week's friendly against Ukraine in
Genoa, Mancini said "let's hope we bring some joy and happiness
after so much sorrow" following an August 14 bridge collapse
that killed 43 people.
The FIGC later announced the squad:
- Goalies: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma
(Milan), Mattia Perin (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino).
- Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Cristiano Biraghi
(Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini
(Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Danilo D'Ambrosio
(Inter), Emerson Palmieri Dos Santos (Chelsea), Alessandro
Florenzi (Roma), Alessio Romagnoli (Milan).
- Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Cagliari), Federico
Bernardeschi (Juventus), Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), Roberto
Gagliardini (Inter), Frello Filho Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea),
Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain).
- Forwards: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Gianluca Caprari
(Sampdoria), Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Patrick Cutrone
(Milan), Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC), Ciro Immobile (Lazio),
Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Simone Zaza (Torino).
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