Gigi Buffon and Salvatore Sirigu are carrying injuries, so Mattia Perin could potentially earn his first cap against England.
Gigi Buffon and Salvatore Sirigu are carrying injuries, so Mattia Perin could potentially earn his first cap against England.
Buffon pulled up with a sprained ankle during last night’s training session in Manaus and is reportedly ‘50-50’ for this evening’s World Cup opener.
The Juventus shot-stopper is undergoing treatment and will have to wait until later today to see how the ankle responds.
If it is swollen or painful, then Sirigu is next in line for the gloves at the Arena Amazonia.
However, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sirigu is also not 100 per cent fit, as he skipped training for several days last week with bruised ribs.
It is therefore conceivable that Genoa youngster Perin will be given the nod for the World Cup debut against England.
This is a hugely risky manoeuvre for Cesare Prandelli, as technically Perin has never played a single minute of official football for the senior Italy side.
The 21-year-old played in last Sunday’s 5-3 victory over Fluminense, but that was against a Brazilian club team and therefore not an official friendly.
It also saw Perin give away a goal with a howler, allowing a shot to squirm under his body.
Worryingly, Perin doesn’t have much experience at Under-21 level either, as he was usually benched or even left out entirely in favour of Inter-owned Francesco Bardi.