The participation of the Inter player in the match with Ukraine is still in question
Another personnel hole in the roster Italian national team — a defender was injured in training Alessandro Bastoni.
The 24-year-old Inter defensive leader has a strained right calf muscle. He will definitely miss the match against North Macedonia on November 17. His participation in the match with the Ukrainian national team is a big question.
Earlier, midfielder Manuel Locatelli left the Squadra Azzurra training camp. Also, Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, defenders Davide Calabria (Milan) and Rafael Toloi (Atalanta) will miss the November European Championship qualifying matches due to injuries.
In addition to them, the injured Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mattia Zaccagni will not play for the national team in November. Ciro Immobile, the best scorer of Squadra Azzurra in the current convocation, is simply not called up.
The participation of some other players is questionable, including midfielders Brian Cristante (Roma) and Jorginho (Arsenal).
Due to numerous personnel problems, head coach Luciano Spalletti decided to call up full-backs Manuel Lazzari from Lazio and Cristiano Biraghi from Fiorentina to the national team.
Bastoni is Inter’s long-time leading central defender (177 appearances, three goals and 14 assists). In the Milan club, he is the third player by estimated value (60 million euros) after Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barrella.
Under Spalletti, Bastoni is an important player in the national team. In four autumn matches, he played three times without substitutions (including against Ukraine – 2:1), and only once came on in the second half. In total, he has 21 matches and one goal as part of the Squadra Azzurra.
The Italian national team takes third place in Group C of qualification for the 2024 European Championship. Spalletti’s team is three points behind the Ukrainian team, having played one match less.
On November 17, Italy will play against North Macedonia. The key match with Ukraine will take place on November 20.
Source: Sportarena
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