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cm grafica italia pisilli pio esposito 2026
Emanuele Tramacere

Translated by

Italy: Gattuso has finalised his squad: from Chiesa to Raspadori, all the selections and three uncertainties to be resolved

Italy
World Cup Qualification UEFA
Northern Ireland
Italy vs Northern Ireland

Gennaro Gattuso’s final squad list for the World Cup play-offs will be announced on Friday. The decisions have all but been made.

It won’t be long now – less than 48 hours – before the whole of Italy finds out the list of the 28 players who will be tasked with leading us to the 2026 World Cup, to be held this summer across the USA, Mexico and Canada. 

On Friday 19 March, Head Coach Gennaro Gattuso will be called upon to announce the official squad list that will see us face Northern Ireland in Bergamo on the evening of Thursday 26 March in the first leg of the play-offs and (hopefully) in the final round against the winner of Bosnia-Wales should we win.

The manager has few doubts remaining and already has a clear idea of the squad he will take with him for this crucial fixture.

  • RELIABLE GOALKEEPERS

    There is little doubt regarding the goalkeeping positions, where Donnarumma, Carnesecchi and Vicario are sure to feature. The only slight uncertainty concerns the fourth-choice goalkeeper; if selected, it is likely to be Alex Meret, at the expense of Elia Caprile, who was called up when the Napoli goalkeeper was injured.

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  • A DEFENSIVE DOUBT

    One might say that the doubts regarding the centre-backs have, unfortunately, resolved themselves. Indeed, there are so many injured players that they cannot be included in a squad that will therefore feature the established choices of Bastoni, Mancini and Calafiori. They are likely to be joined by Buongiorno, Gatti and Scalvini. The only uncertainty concerns Coppola (who started against Norway), who has moved from Brighton to Paris FC and could return to the squad, though this is being weighed against the option of bringing in an additional attacking winger.

  • DIMARCO AND CAMBIASO ARE CERTAIN CHOICES FOR THE WING-BACKS; HERE’S THE TRAINING SESSION

    As for the full-backs – or rather the wing-backs in the 3-5-2 formation – Gattuso will stick with Dimarco and Cambiaso, two absolute mainstays. They will certainly be joined by Palestra, who has been a standout performer this season at Cagliari, with Spinazzola completing the line-up. Udogie and Bellanova are likely to be left out.

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  • ATTACKING FORWARDS: HOW MANY HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT?

    The choice of formation and the confirmation of the 3-5-2 inevitably means that many potential attacking players will be left out. In this regard, Politano is the only certainty, given his versatility in playing as a fifth man. Orsolini and Zaccagni are vying for a spot, with the latter the favourite over the former. Despite being pre-selected, Federico Chiesa is unlikely to feature, having seen too little action at Liverpool, nor is Domenico Berardi, who is recovering from injury at Sassuolo. Finally, neither Bernardeschi nor Zaniolo have ever really been considered, although both have repeatedly stated their availability.

  • THE MIDFIELDERS

    Verratti won’t be there, despite all the hype surrounding his possible return. The same goes for Jorginho, who is doing well at Flamengo but has not been considered. There is no shortage of certainty in midfield, however, with Barella, Tonali and Locatelli expected to form our starting midfield, and Cristante and Frattesi as possible alternatives. Pisilli will be the surprise pick, potentially serving as a wild card in the attacking midfield.

  • 5 NAMES FOR THE ATTACK

    The main concern regarding the attack centres solely on Giacomo Raspadori’s fitness. If the Atalanta striker makes it, he will round out the 28-man squad; otherwise, the race for a place will be back on, with one of the forwards being left out. The other four strikers, however, are confirmed, with Kean and Retegui still holding the edge over Pio Esposito and Scamacca.

  • THE POSSIBLE 28

    GOALKEEPERS: Donnarumma (City), Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Vicario (Tottenham), Meret (Napoli).

    DEFENDERS: Bastoni (Inter), Mancini (Roma), Calafiori (Arsenal), Gatti (Juventus), Buongiorno (Napoli), Scalvini (Atalanta).

    FULL-BACKS: Dimarco (Inter), Spinazzola (Napoli), Palestra (Cagliari), Cambiaso (Juventus).

    ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Politano (Napoli), Zaccagni (Lazio), Orsolini (Bologna)

    MIDFIELDERS: Barella (Inter), Locatelli (Juventus), Tonali (Newcastle), Cristante (Roma), Frattesi (Inter), Pisilli (Roma).

    FORWARDS: Kean (Fiorentina), Retegui (Al Qadsiah), Pio Esposito (Inter), Scamacca (Atalanta), Raspadori (Atalanta).