The Prague Post - Injury doubt Tonali picked by Gattuso for Italy's World Cup qualifiers

Midfielder Tonali was a doubt for the two Group I fixtures following the knock he picked up in Newcastle United's dramatic 3-2 loss to Liverpool last weekend.

But the 25-year-old is among the 28 players picked by Gattuso who replaced the sacked Luciano Spalletti in June and is charged with trying to get Italy to their first World Cup since 2014 in Brazil.

Gianluca Scamacca is back in the squad for the first time since Italy's dismal Euro 2024 campaign which ended in the last 16, after the Atalanta striker's impressive return to action from a long-term knee injury last weekend.

Promising teen defender Giovanni Leoni, who recently signed for Liverpool, is one of three new faces for Italy alongside Bologna midfielder Giovanni Fabbian and young Inter Milan attacker Francesco Pio Esposito.

Italy are at risk of missing out on a third consecutive World Cup after a troubled start to their qualifying campaign left them nine points behind Group I leaders Norway after two games played.

Gattuso has a tough job on his hands with only top spot in the group giving automatic qualification to next year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico, even with Italy having played two fewer games than Norway.

As well as the significant points gap Italy have a goal difference which is 12 goals worse than Norway, who hammered Italy 3-0 in June.

That leaves Italy with the play-offs, from which they failed to reach the last two tournaments, as their only realistic shot at qualification.

Italy play Estonia in Bergamo next Friday night before travelling to Debrecen in Hungary to face Israel the following Monday.

Italy squad for World Cup qualifiers:

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham/ENG)

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal/ENG), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Giovanni Leoni (Liverpool/ENG), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Nicolo Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United/ENG)

Forwards: Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter Milan), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Atalanta), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah/KSA), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)

A.Slezak--TPP