Three new players named in Italy's roster for friendlies in USA

The Italian national team is preparing for their next international break, which will be held on March 23 and 24. There will be no Serie A matches, but the Azzurri will play two friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador.

In preparation for Euro 2024, coach Luciano Spalletti will find these two matches productive. For both of their matches against the South American teams, Italy will go to the United States.

Italy, the reigning champions of Europe, are getting ready to compete in Euro 2024 in Germany. Their Group B opponents are Croatia, Spain, and Albania.

For the Ecuador encounter, the Red Bull Arena in New York will serve as the site. Meanwhile, Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale will host the Venezuela clash. For their upcoming tour of the US, Italy’s national team manager Luciano Spalletti has selected a 28-player boosted squad. Three newbies have received their first call-ups on this list.

List of Italy’s called-up players for friendlies

Four goalkeepers have been selected, one of them being Gianluigi Donnarumma of Paris Saint-Germain, who is now the starting number one. In addition, there are Alex Meret of Napoli, Marco Carnesecchi of Atalanta, and Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bellanova, Matteo Darmian, Federico Dimarco, Destiny Udogie, and Andrea Cambiaso are all members of the traveling group of fullbacks. Meanwhile, Giorgio Scalvini, Alessandro Buongiorno, Francesco Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastoni are the chosen centre-backs.

Among the eligible midfielders for the Azzurri are newcomer Folorunsho, Giacomo Bonaventura, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, and Lorenzo Pellegrini. Davide Frattesi is also on the roster.

Italy did not include Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca on their roster. In his place, Spalletti has chosen Nicolo Zaniolo, Federico Chiesa, Lucca, Riccardo Orsolini, Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, and Mattia Zaccagni.

Big names missing replaced by three newbies

While several familiar characters from Serie A will be training with the Azzurri, the omission of Ciro Immobile has shocked Italian fans. Actually, the Lazio forward will not be joining the national squad but will instead stay in Rome to train with the Biancocelesti.

Nicolo Zaniolo was called up even though he has had poor results and has been involved in issues as a result. Despite the fact that the former Roma star isn’t performing up to par at Aston Villa, Spalletti has chosen to keep him on the team.

After rupturing his right Achilles tendon two weeks ago, pivotal winger Domenico Berardi will miss significant time with his injury. Meanwhile, with Italy’s young teams, Bellanova has competed at every level.

Folorunsho, who is on loan from Napoli this season, has scored four goals for Verona. He is of Nigerian heritage. On the other hand, the third newcomer, Lucca has scored eight goals in 30 appearances across all competitions for Udinese.

For Venezuelans in South Florida, this is the second opportunity to see their national team play live. In December 2023, La Vinotinto lost a tight encounter against Colombia 1-0 at the home field of Inter Miami.

Meanwhile, Italians in the area will get to see the Azzurri play at Chase Stadium for the first time since 2005, when they played Ecuador in New York. In fact, it’s been almost 19 years since Italy last played in the US.

Photo credits: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS : IMAGO / Goal Sports Images.