An international break is coming up this midweek, and Prandelli is preparing Italy for a friendly against Romania. From the 23 that the former Fiorentina coach has picked, you have some new inclusions like Lazio’s Argentinean-Italian, Cristian Ledesma, and the return of Mario Balotelli who has recovered from injury. The full squad of 23 is below:
Goalkeepers: Viviano, Mirante, Sirigu.
Defenders: Astori, Balzaretti, Bonucci, Cassani, Criscito, Gastaldello, Ranocchia, Santon.
Midfielders: Aquilani, De Rossi, Diamanti, Ledesma, Marchisio, Mauri, Pirlo.
Forwards: Balotelli, Gilardino, Pazzini, Quagliarella, Rossi.
To me the team looks very good, while Cassano isn’t included because of his fallout with Sampdoria, and therefore lack of playing time, there’s still creativity and flair in the squad. Balotelli has a big role to play, and apparently Prandelli has given him the number 10 shirt. Santon also makes a return for Italy, along with Aquilani, both players who look ready to step up and perform. Another player who will need to show his talent is Giuseppe Rossi, if he can put in a good performance in this friendly, then maybe he’ll ascertain himself as Balotelli’s strike partner.
My only worry is the defence, it seems slightly weaker than the rest of the team, but with Viviano, Sirigu, or Mirante in goal, I think that Italy probably won’t concede a goal. I expect a pretty comfortable win for the Azzurri, maybe 2-0? But what are your thoughts? Make sure to share them by commenting below!
