Nations League 2024-25: Barella Returns, Calafiori Ruled Out As Italy Announce Squad

Luciano Spalletti has made several changes to his Italy squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Belgium and France. (More Football News)

Italy are currently top of Group A2 by a point after four games, and know a win ag꧋ainst Belgium next week will secure the🍎ir place in the quarter-finals of the competition. 

Spalletti was able to n🍌ame Inter's Nicolo Barella back to his ranks after the midfielder missed the Azzurri's October encounters after undergoi༺ng nose surgery. 

Only Aless♊andro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian (both 38) and Marcus Thuram (57) have won more succ💞essful duels than Barella (35) for Inter in Serie A this season. 

However, the Itali💙ans wi𝄹ll be without defensive duo Riccardo Calafiori and Matteo Gabbia, with the former picking up a knee issue in Arsenal's Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk. 

Spalletti also did not include Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, who was sent off in the 2-2 draw with Belgium last month, or Juventus mi✤dfielder Nicolo Fagioli.

Fiorentina's Pietro Comuzzo, Juventus' Nicolo Savona and Lazio's Nicolo Rovella all come into the squad, receiving t𝕴heir first senior call-ups. 

Italy squad in full: 

Goa𒀰lkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, (Paris Saint-Germain), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham), Alex Meret (Napoli); Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Caleb Okoli (Leicester City), Nicolo Savona (Juventus), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham); Nicolo Barella (Inter), Davide Frattesi (Roma), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolo Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle); Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Daniel Maldini (Monza), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta).