Italy Manager Spalletti Finalizes 26-Man Squad for Euro 2024, Orsolini, Ricci, Provedel Miss Out
Italy's head coach Luciano Spalletti has unveiled his definitive 26-man squad for the upcoming European Championship, with Riccardo Orsolini, Samuele Ricci, and Ivan Provedel failing to secure spots in the Azzurri's title defense.
Provedel, the goalkeeper from Lazio, will remain in training in Rome as a backup, adhering to UEFA regulations which allow for goalkeeper replacements in case of injury or illness even after the tournament's commencement.
Bologna's winger Orsolini and Torino's midfielder Ricci were the two other players omitted from Italy's initial 30-man squad.
Injuries forced Inter Milan's Francesco Acerbi and Atalanta's Giorgio Scalvini out of contention after the squad announcement, with Federico Gatti named as a replacement last week.
Gatti, 25, hailing from Juventus, has secured a remarkable inclusion after a season in Italy's third tier before making strides to Serie B with Frosinone and eventually landing at Juventus.
Nicolò Fagioli, also from Juventus, has earned a place in the squad despite recently returning from a seven-month ban for betting violations.
Italy, set to commence their title defense against Albania in Dortmund on June 15, following the Euro 2024 kickoff, finds itself in Group B alongside Spain and Croatia.
Despite Acerbi's withdrawal, Inter Milan contributes significantly to the squad, with players such as Nicolò Barella, Federico Dimarco, Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian, and Davide Frattesi included, reflecting their Serie A title-winning season.
The squad sees only nine players from the victorious Euro 2021 squad retained.
After a lackluster 0-0 draw against Turkey, Italy has one more warmup fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sunday before heading to Germany the next day.
Italy's Final Squad for Euro 2024:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Nicolò Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio)
