Italy in the World Cup play-offs: the latest updates ahead of the final in Bosnia

Goalkeepers: 1 Donnarumma, 12 Carnesecchi, 22 Meret.

Defenders: 21 Bastoni, 6 Buongiorno, 13 Calafiori, 20 Cambiaso, 3 Dimarco, 19 Gatti, 23 Mancini, 2 Palestra, 4 Spinazzola.

Midfielders: 18 Barella, 16 Cristante, 17 Frattesi, 5 Locatelli, 14 Pisilli, 8 Tonali.

Forwards: 15 Esposito, 11 Kean, 7 Politano, 10 Raspadori, 9 Retegui.

In the stands are goalkeeper Caprile, defenders Scalvini and Coppola, and forwards Cambiaghi and Scamacca.

Similarly, Cluj forward Jovo Lukic has been left out of the squad.

The Italy manager appears set to field the same starting eleven as last Thursday in Bergamo for the 2-0 semi-final victory over Northern Ireland, with Locatelli and Retegui preferred to Cristante and Pio Esposito. The latter starts on the bench once again, as does another young talent on the opposite side: Alajbegovic, who lost out to Memic in the selection battle.

BOSNIA (4-4-2): Vasjli; Dedic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac; Bajraktarevic, Gigovic, Sunjic, Memic; Dzeko, Demirovic. Manager: Barbarez.

ITALY (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Mancini, Bastoni, Calafiori; Politano, Barella, Locatelli (Cristante), Tonali, Dimarco; Kean, Retegui (Esposito). Manager: Gattuso.

REFEREE: Clement Turpin (France), assisted by compatriots Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages, with Spaniard José Maria Sanchez as fourth official, and Jerome Brisard and Willy Delajod on VAR duty.

Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso told Radio Rai: "Last night, my son Francesco, who was born in 2007, sent me a message. It really touched me and moved me deeply. What would I say to a child who asks me how it will go? That we’ll give it our all; we’ve prepared for this match to succeed, and we’ll see if we can do it."

"I’ve seen the right determination in my players. We’ve reaped what we’ve sown. I’ll never say to myself: ‘Enjoy it’. The pressure and the buzz are a wonderful thing. When you don’t have it, you miss it and you have to go looking for it. Here it’s natural and wonderful. I’ve always lived with my demons, with both positive and negative thoughts. When that’s missing, you miss it terribly. It makes life worth living; it makes you feel so much older. Let’s hope God sends us a good one and that luck, even if we have to go out and find it, is on our side."

""There are two games in one. The first is about behaviour, and the other is technical and tactical. We have to be good. We know Turpin; he’s a highly experienced referee who doesn’t like certain things. We have to be careful; they’re very physical. They average 19.3 fouls per match. We mustn’t fall for provocations. They’ll certainly start strongly; we need to be ready from the first minute."

"Barberez and I both have a lot riding on this. I mentioned that he’s a professional poker player, but only to pay him a compliment. They know they’re competitive and that they can cause us problems. They know it and we know it. Let’s hope we don’t misread the match."

There will be no goal-line technology: strange as it may seem, given that it has effectively eliminated ‘ghost goals’, it is not mandatory and depends on the decisions of the organising federation. In Bosnia, Hawk-Eye is not used and will therefore not be available to referee Turpin and his team, whereas it was in use in Bergamo last Thursday during Italy’s 2-0 win over Northern Ireland, as it is in all Serie A, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup matches.

Yesterday, the heads of the Italian Footballers’ Association (Umberto Calcagno), Serie B (Paolo Bedin), Lega Pro (Matteo Marani) and the National Amateur League (Giancarlo Abete) arrived in Coverciano for lunch.

The president of Lega Serie A, Ezio Simonelli, is expected in Bosnia today, accompanied by the chief executive Luigi De Siervo and several club presidents, including Beppe Marotta (Inter), Tommaso Giulini (Cagliari) and Saverio Sticchi Damiani (Lecce).

Also on his way is the head of CONI, Luciano Buonfiglio, and the Minister for Sport, Andrea Abodi, will do everything he can to be there too.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin will also be present, partly because one of his vice-presidents is Gabriele Gravina, President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

The latter said before setting off: “Let’s experience this together, let’s come together, let’s enjoy it as a moment of carefree joy and serenity. Knowing that, if we do well, the reward will be extraordinary.”

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic may also be present at the stadium as a guest of honour.

Fabio Capello, former manager of Milan and Juventus, writes in *La Gazzetta dello Sport*: "Bosnia’s manager, Barbarez, has said they’ll park the bus in front of the goal. So all we’ll have to do is turn up with something stronger to move it – we’ll bring in the tow truck. Italian football depends on this match."

Former Italy striker Luca Toni, a World Cup winner at Germany 2006, said in an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*: "To win, we’ll have to play like Italy. Come on, Azzurri, you can do it. Bosnia shouldn’t be underestimated, but we have to beat them."

"I like Kean; he looks fitter now than he did a few weeks ago and is coming off a good performance against Northern Ireland. It’s right to put our faith in him."

"Retegui? For a centre-forward, it’s important to get chances and touch the ball in the opposition’s box. He did that, even if perhaps he could have shielded the ball better. With the national team, he’s shown he knows how to score goals."

"Pio Esposito, with his qualities, is ideal both as a substitute should we fall behind – a scenario I certainly hope to avoid – and as a starter. I’m sure he’ll feature in the match because he’s in good form and is mentally fired up after scoring for Inter. He can give us a real boost."

"Raspadori is very different from Kean, Retegui and Esposito and can be useful for creating numerical superiority with his dribbling."

"Dzeko is a quality player, a striker who has played in many big games. We’ll have to mark him closely: in matches like this, it’s not just the physical aspect that counts, but the mental one too. He’s 40, but he’s a leader and he scored in Wales..."

Former Milan number 10 Gianni Rivera said in an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*: "We absolutely must qualify for the World Cup. I’ll be watching Bosnia v Italy at home on the telly, on my own and completely relaxed. We are Italy, with four World Cup titles like Germany; only Brazil have done better. No jokes and no trials. We’re off, we’re setting off, and that’s it. I’d love it if, given that matches will also be played in Mexico, these lads could step into our legendary Azteca stadium, where there’s a plaque commemorating the match of the century. They put it there for us: Italy 4–3 Germany.”

"Gattuso is putting everything on the line, but he’s been through other important moments. He’s serious and solid. In Milan they’d call him a ‘bel fioeu’. He’s the manager and he doesn’t have to please me; he has to lead the team and win. Gattuso is doing a good job. He’s also relying on the young players; he has the squad’s trust. They follow him. Then there’s another thing you can see: his determination. He’s managed to convey his passion and sheer drive to everyone. They’re united, focused; you can even tell when they sing the national anthem. They’re brilliant, really."

Tennis player Jannik Sinner writes in *LaGazzetta dello Sport*: "We’re experiencing an incredible moment in Italy, across so many sports, from Formula 1 to motorcycling. Now we’re also hoping to secure a place at the World Cup. Before their races, I spoke to both Bezzecchi and Antonelli; it’s great that there are so many of us and that we support one another. I’ll be following the national team again this time; it’ll be a tough match against Bosnia, but I’ll be cheering them on like all Italians.”

READ HERE the message from motorcyclist Marco Bezzecchi.

"We’re off to watch this match, which is certainly taking place in a rather uncomfortable venue. I’m amazed that the international federation allows matches to be played in these stadiums.” Adnkronos quotes CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio, who was interviewed on the flight that took him to Belgrade and from there to Bosnia, where tonight he will watch the World Cup play-off between Italy and Bosnia live at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, a venue criticised for its poor condition.