Mancini includes 5 Inter Milan players in Italy squad for Nations League final four
Inter Milan's Federico Dimarco smiles before the press conference during a media day ahead of the Champions League soccer final, at the Suning training center, in Appiano Gentile, northern Italy, Monday, June 5, 2023. Inter Milan will play a Champions League final against Manchester City in Istanbul, Turkey, next Saturday, June 10. Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni
MILAN — Italy coach Roberto Mancini included five Inter Milan players in the squad for next week’s Nations League final four.
Defenders Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco and Matteo Darmian and midfielder Nicolò Barella will join the Azzurri after Saturday’s Champions League final against Manchester City in Istanbul.
Italy has been training in Forte Village in Sardinia with a preliminary 26-man squad but Mancini made changes for the official 23-man list that was announced on Tuesday.
Matteo Pessina and Domenico Berardi had already pulled out with injuries, while Federico Baschirotto, Alessandro Buongiorno, Alessandro Florenzi, Federico Gatti, Manuel Locatelli and Mattia Zaccagni were left off the official list.
Argentina-born forward Mateo Retegui has been included after scoring two goals in his first two Italy appearances in March.
Italy will fly to the Netherlands next Wednesday ahead of its semifinal against Spain the following day.
Croatia plays the Netherlands in the other last-four match. The final is June 18 in Rotterdam.
It is Italy’s second straight appearance in the Nations League final four. The Azzurri were beaten by Spain in the semifinals in 2021.
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Italy:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli).
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter Milan), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta).
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Nicolò Zaniolo (Galatasaray).
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Tigre).
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