Italy are unsure whether Nicolò Barella will be available for the opening game of Euro 2024 against Albania, but if he does miss the game, the Azzurri and their fans hope the Inter star will follow in Gennaro Gattuso and Marco Verratti’s footsteps.
Barella missed Tuesday’s international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina due to a muscle injury and will undergo medical tests today.
FIGC President Gabriele Gravina has admitted to being “a little concerned” about the 27-year-old’s fitness. The player is not expected to be involved in Sunday’s friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Empoli.
Italy hope Barella follows in Gattuso and Verratti’s footsteps at Euro 2024
Actually, he could even miss the opening Euro 2024 game against Albania on June 15. If this is the case, Italy will hope their star will follow the same trajectory as Gattuso in 2006 and Verratti in 2021.
Gattuso missed Italy’s debut game against Ghana at the 2006 World Cup due to an injury but was perfectly fit for the remainder of the tournament, which ended with the Azzurri lifting the cup.
The same happened with Verratti in the previous edition of the European Championships. The ex-PSG star missed the opening two matches against Turkey and Switzerland but started the following five games playing a key role in Italy’s eventual win.
Italy CT Luciano Spalletti will likely provide a fitness update on Barella at a pre-match press conference later today at Coverciano, which will be attended by Football Italia.