Italy coach recalls Federico Chiesa for World Cup qualifiers

Gennaro Gattuso has announced a 28-player Italy squad for the March 26 encounter with Northern Ireland in Bergamo. A victory would see them head to March 31 to meet the winner between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina in a bid to qualify for the World Cup.

A loss would mean missing out on the tournament for the third time in a row.

Gattuso has also included 22-year-old Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, who picked up a severe left knee problem shortly before Euro 2024, plus 21-year-old Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli with his single appearance in 2024. Marco Palestra, the 21-year-old Cagliari defender, gets his initial selection.

Chiesa, who featured in the Euro 2021 triumph, last represented Italy at Euro 2024 as the holders fell to Switzerland in the last 16.

Vicario, who faced a short benching at Tottenham, was between the posts for Italy's second-last World Cup qualifier, a 2-0 success against Moldova in November. He remained unused three days later as the Azzurri, holding a narrow shot at Group I leadership, were hammered 4-1 at home in Milan by Norway at the top of the standings.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City/ENG), Alex Meret (Napoli)

Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal/ENG), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Diego Coppola (Paris FC/FRA), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Marco Palestra (Cagliari), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Leonardo Spinazzola (Napoli)

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle/ENG)

Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Liverpool/ENG), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah/KSA), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)