Italy coach Roberto Mancini still has three decisions to make ahead of tonight’s Nations League semi-final against Spain, as both teams are leaning towards a False 9 approach.
It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), with the other semi-final between France and Belgium in Turin tomorrow night.
This is a replay of the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final, which had to be decided on penalties at Wembley Stadium in July.
However, there are injuries piling up for both sides, particularly upfront, where Ciro Immobile, Andrea Belotti, Gerard Moreno and Alvaro Morata are all out of action.
It suggests both coaches are heading for a False 9 in their 4-3-3 formations, on one hand Lorenzo Insigne and on the other Ferran Torres.
This approach provides for rotation in the trident, so Federico Chiesa or Lorenzo Pellegrini could switch over to the centre-forward role, while Mikel Oyarzabal can move across too.
According to the latest reports from Sky Sport Italia, there are still three doubts that Mancini must resolve before kick-off.
Insigne seems guaranteed to start, but Chiesa is battling Domenico Berardi and Roma midfielder Pellegrini challenged by Federico Bernardeschi.
It would be a boost for Pellegrini, who was forced to pull out of EURO 2020 due to injury.
There is also a concern in defence, where Giorgio Chiellini and Alessandro Bastoni are competing to start alongside Leonardo Bonucci.
Probable line-ups
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Chiesa, Insigne, Pellegrini
Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Azpilicueta, Laporte, Pau Torres, Marcos Alonso; Koke, Busquets, Mikel Merino; Ferran Torres, Oyarzabal, Sarabia
Nations League, Italia-Spagna: le probabili formazioni della semifinale#SkySport #NationsLeague #ItaliaSpagna https://t.co/mas0aNZdpz
— skysport (@SkySport) October 6, 2021
Locatelli must start
Chiesa battling Berardi? You’re kidding me!
Locatelli should start ahead of Barella