No Cassano Again In Italy Squad

The Azzurri begin the defence of their World Cup campaign with a trip to Cyprus on Saturday, before hosting Georgia at home the following Wednesday.

Captain Fabio Cannavaro returns following the injury he picked up on the eve of Euro 2008, while Luca Toni is also recalled after recovering from injury too.

Nicola Legrottaglie keeps his place due to Giorgio Chiellini’s absence, while Marco Materazzi is deemed not fit enough yet.

In midfield, Rino Gatuso is present despite missing Milan’s game against Bologna today, while Sampdoria’s Angelo Palombo is selected after his outstanding display against Inter last night.

Up-front there are four World Cup winners, plus Antonio Di Natale, as Lippi goes for experience. The biggest talking point is the exclusion once again of Antonio Cassano, while there is also no place for Napoli’s Fabiano Santacroce, despite calls for him to be included.

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Amelia (Palermo), De Sanctis (Galatasaray)

Defenders: Barzagli (Wolfsburg), Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Cassetti (Roma), Dossena (Liverpool), Gamberini (Fiorentina), Grosso (Olympique Lyonnais), Legrottaglie (Juventus), Zambrotta (Milan)

Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), Camoranesi (Juventus), De Rossi (Roma), Gattuso (Milan), Palombo (Sampdoria), Pirlo (Milan)

Attackers: Del Piero (Juventus), Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Iaquinta (Juventus), Toni (Bayern Munich)

Anthony Sormani