The Inter Milan midfielder has been absent for the selection since Euro 2024.
Italy, leader of group A2 of the League of Nations, will find its playmaker Nicolo Barella, absent from the selection since Euro-2024, for the matches against Belgium on November 14 in Brussels and France, three days later in Milan. Barella, 27, is included in the list of 23 players published on Friday by the Italian Football Federation for the final international window of the year.
His 57th and last selection dates back to June 29, 2024, the date of the round of 16 of Euro-2024 lost by the Nazionale, then reigning European champion, against Switzerland (2-0). The Inter midfielder had missed the meetings in September, to have adenoids surgery, and in October due to injury. In the absence of Barella, top scorer of the Nazionale with his ten goals and considered the centerpiece of his system for Luciano Spalletti, Italy came close to flawless with three victories and a draw and is ahead of France in the standings. of group A2 by one point.
He just needs to pocket a point against Belgium in Brussels to be assured of finishing in one of the first two places in his group in order to have his ticket to the quarter-finals of the League of Nations and top status. of series for the draw for the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Faithful to his policy put in place after the rout of Euro-2024, the Italian coach called up three new young players, defenders Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina) and Nicola Savona (Juventus), as well as Lazio midfielder Nicolo Rovella.
The 23 Italian players selected:
Guardians: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris SG/FRA), Alex Meret (Naples), Guglielmo Vicaro (Tottenham/ENG)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Alessandro Buongiorno (Naples), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus Turin), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Naples), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus Turin), Caleb Okoli ( Leicester/ENG) Nicolo Savona (Juventus Turin), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham/ENG)
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Niccolo Pisilli (AS Rome), Samuele Ricci (Turin), Nicolo Rovella (Lazio Rome), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle/ENG)
Attackers: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Naples), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta Bergame)
