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Italy’s head coach, Luciano Spalletti, on Friday, announced a 25-man squad for the upcoming Nations League quarter-final against Germany.
The list features first-time call-ups for 22-year-olds Matteo Ruggeri and Cesare Casadei.
PUNCH Online retrieved this on Friday night from the Italia FA website.
“The Azzurri are taking part in their first matches of 2025 as they prepare to face Germany in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, a double-header which represents a ‘sliding door’ into the future.
“The two matches – are scheduled for Thursday 20 March at the ‘Giuseppe Meazza’ in Milan and then on Sunday 23 March at BVB Stadion in Dortmund.
“The matches will not only dictate qualification to the finals (which Italy would host in Turin, in June), but also the path towards the 2026 World Cup.
“If the Azzurri advance, they will be placed in a group alongside Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. If we are defeated by Germany, we’d face Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova,” it read.
Debutants, returnees
Ruggeri, a defender from Atalanta, has been notable this season, marking his 101st appearance and earning a spot in UEFA’s Europa League Team of the Season. His inclusion addresses the absence of the injured Federico Dimarco.
Midfielder Cesare Casadei recently transferred to Torino from Chelsea, where he had limited appearances but gained experience during loan spells at Reading and Leicester City.
Notably, Spalletti has excluded all Roma players from this selection.
The squad also sees the return of Matteo Politano from Napoli and Mattia Zaccagni, who had been absent since November 2023 and September, respectively.
Italy’s attacking lineup includes Serie A’s top scorers, Mateo Retegui and Moise Kean, both in excellent form this season.
The Azzurri will convene at Appiano Gentile, Inter’s training facility, before hosting Germany at San Siro on Thursday. The return leg is scheduled three days later in Dortmund.
Squad list
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Cesare Casadei (Torino), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolò Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese), Daniel Maldini (Atalanta), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
