Injured Lazzari pulls out of Italy squad

Manuel Lazzari has pulled out of the Italy squad due to an injury with Lazio, while Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi remains in doubt.

The Azzurri resume their journey in 2022 World Cup qualifiers just a few weeks after winning UEFA EURO 2020.

Roberto Mancini named his list of 34 players for the upcoming games against Bulgaria, Switzerland and Lithuania.

Lazio wing-back Lazzari had been called up, but is already forced out after limping off during last night’s 6-1 Serie A win over Spezia with a muscular issue.

Berardi is also in the group despite not being part of Sassuolo’s squad for today’s game against Sampdoria.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Berardi will make the journey to the Coverciano training ground and be evaluated then before deciding if he’ll continue training with the Nazionale or return home.

Berardi has a knock to the foot, but is also left out by Sassuolo amid transfer speculation.

Italy will play Bulgaria on September 2 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence.

They’ll then visit Switzerland at the St Jakob Park in Basel on Sunday September 5, before hosting Lithuania on Wednesday September 8 at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio-Emilia.

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Pierluigi Gollini (Tottenham), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa);

D: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Lyon), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);

M: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Frello Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma);

F: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Moise Kean (Everton), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo)