Italy’s national football team has announced its squad for this month’s European Championship qualifiers against Malta and England, with a notable inclusion being Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie. The announcement was made by the Italian football federation (FIGC) on Friday.
Udogie, a 20-year-old left-back, is earning his first call-up to the Italian national team and has garnered attention for his impressive performances at Tottenham Hotspur, where he has started in all seven of their Premier League matches this season. His inclusion in the squad is a testament to his rapid development and potential.
Manager Luciano Spalletti, in his second squad selection as Azzurri manager, has entrusted Udogie with a role in the national team, highlighting the young defender’s talents and contributions to his club.
However, Italy will be without midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, who sustained a muscle injury during AS Roma’s Europa League game against Servette on Thursday. Pellegrini’s absence will be felt, but Italy remains determined to maintain its strong performance in the European Championship qualifiers.
As of now, Italy occupies the second position in Group C, trailing England by six points but having a game in hand over all of their group rivals. They are set to host Malta on October 14th in Bari before traveling to face England at Wembley three days later.
Below is the full squad list for the Italian national team:
Goalkeepers:
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris St Germain)
- Alex Meret (Napoli)
- Ivan Provedel (Lazio)
- Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defenders:
- Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni (both Inter Milan)
- Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina)
- Matteo Darmian (Inter)
- Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)
- Federico Dimarco (Inter)
- Federico Gatti (Juventus)
- Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma)
- Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta)
- Destiny Udogie (Tottenham)
Midfielders:
- Nicolo Barella (Inter)
- Giacomo Bonaventura (Fiorentina)
- Bryan Cristante (Roma)
- Davide Frattesi (Inter)
- Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
- Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United)
Attackers:
- Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
- Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
- Moise Kean (Juventus)
- Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli)
- Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
- Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
- Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa)
This squad showcases Italy’s commitment to nurturing young talents like Destiny Udogie while relying on a mix of experienced and emerging players as they pursue success in the European Championship qualifiers.
