Italy’s national team head coach, Luciano Spalletti, has formally unveiled the 28-man squad for the forthcoming friendly matches against Venezuela and Ecuador scheduled for March. Notable inclusions in the squad are first-time call-ups for Torino wing-back Rauol Bellanova, Napoli’s Frosinone loanee Michael Folorunsho, and Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca.
The Italian team will journey to the United States to engage with both South American opponents. The encounter with Venezuela is slated to be held at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, while the match against Ecuador is scheduled at the Red Bull Arena in New York.
Spalletti has assembled a reinforced 28-player squad for the American expedition, marking the penultimate series of friendlies for the Azzurri ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany later this summer.
The squad comprises four goalkeepers, including incumbent Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint Germain, Guglielmo Vicario from Tottenham, Alex Meret from Napoli, and Marco Carnesecchi from Atalanta.
The contingent of full-backs and wing-backs set for the journey includes Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Bellanova, and Matteo Darmian on the right flank, Federico Dimarco and Destiny Udogie on the left, in addition to the versatile Andrea Cambiaso.
The selected centre-backs consist of Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Giorgio Scalvini.
Folorunsho joins the roster of available Azzurri midfielders alongside Nicolo Barella, Giacomo Bonaventura, Davide Frattesi, Jorginho, Manuel Locatelli, and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Gianluca Scammacca misses out on selection in the attacking department this time, with Spalletti instead opting for Federico Chiesa, Lucca, Riccardo Orsolini, Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, Mattia Zaccagni, and Nicolo Zaniolo.