Roberto Mancini has called up Juventus defender Mattia De Sciglio to replace injured Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the Italy squad for the World Cup play-offs.

The change was necessary after Napoli right-back Di Lorenzo was diagnosed with a sprained right knee, which he sustained during yesterday’s 2-1 Serie A victory over Udinese.

While many had expected Milan right-back Davide Calabria to get the nod, especially considering his form for the Serie A leaders, Mancini has gone for De Sciglio instead.

Although De Sciglio rarely features for Juventus, he did provide an assist today for Dusan Vlahovic’s header in the 2-0 win over Salernitana.

De Sciglio usually plays at left-back, but is famously versatile and can do a job on the right too.

Italy will face North Macedonia in Palermo on March 24 and the winners of that game will go on to play either Turkey or Portugal in the World Cup play-off final for a spot at the tournament in Qatar.

Italy squad

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Pierluigi Gollini (Tottenham), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Emerson Palmieri (Lyon), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Luiz Felipe (Lazio), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)

Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Stefano Sensi (Sampdoria), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain)

Forwards:  Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Joao Pedro (Cagliari), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma)

25 thought on “Italy bring in De Sciglio after Di Lorenzo injury”
  1. Who should earn the call up between super and fantastic Davide Calabria and the sluggish de sciglio. I believe Calabria merit it than the guy called for replacement

  2. i thought calabria shouldve got the call, but if Chiellini and Bonucci are fit to play then it makes sense to have De Sciglio play with them since they all play together?

  3. It’s alright. De Sciglio will get injured in training and won’t be anywhere near the pitch for the game.

  4. It sounds like all you guys have all the answers
    You guys all should apply for coaching positions for the Azzurri national team
    I love all these interim coaches
    Who know better
    This mancini guy was criticised prior to euros , yet he hasn’t lost a game in over 3 yrs and yet you guys criticise his decisions
    He was bit unlucky in the qualifying we know that
    That’s the way it went
    The Azzurri if they get through this stupid system , will be one of the favourites of World Cup as they do in these tournaments .
    Mancini has turned this team around over the yrs and did play the best attacking football of the euros
    Everyone has said that !
    Do why they criticism of this guy and vials who have a wealth of experience , more than you guys who have no clue
    It’s not about the way , just selecting a player , it’s about having the right attitude of players and not upsetting the squad
    So it’s about the right blend .
    Ballo hasn’t proved nothing over years and shown in past bad attitude etc etc

  5. Panucci was our best right-back but Lippi brought Zacardo to WC 2006, then forced to move Zambrotta to the right side which allowed Grosso to emerge… 🙃

  6. That auto-rete versus the USA was the best thing to have happened to us in 2006.

    Without, it would have been Zaccardo the rest of the way until elimination. Likely versus Germany.

  7. What a lot of you don’t understand is that Di Lorenzo has always been favored because he understands the system of switching from a left back to a 3 man central defender when the right back attacks as an advanced winger like Emerson & Spinazolla have done in the past.

    Calabria as good as he is going forward has not got the technical nuance to perform this task and cannot défend for Toffees.
    De Sciglio Can more mimic Di Lorenzo’s task.

  8. @Eddie , well said that the coach makes the selections and has ideas . We as fans can say this or that but in all , we are not professional coaches with experience in top leagues and international football . We are fans and should cheer on our team .

  9. Forza Italia, I hope Italy will make it to the World Cup because the World Cup without Italy has no taste! This stupid qualification system and the unlucky Italy against Bulgaria and Swiss team puts the Azzuri in this situation. VAI ITALIA and I hope Mancini is doing the right decisions!

  10. @Eddie. Do you see any coach commenting in this forum? Nope, this is a section for football fan, of course you can always read Coaches’ comment on the coach’s forum

  11. @Eddie
    I was wolfing down a milles feuilles (thousand flakes) pastry with black coffee and I love the way it melts in my mouth when suddenly I came across your contribution.

    I could not help but admire the way you wrote that article commentary, like a sea saw effect-a long line followed by a short line. Almost like an Irish tome.

    I felt a serenity and not stressed out as read it, you know like when you read a dry text book chapter it can be quite taxing.
    I would like you to patent this technique and pls have novelists employ it, perhaps even here at FI. I would love to read say Of Mice And Men written in this manner,

  12. @Supermarket well said bruh.. We as fan has right to discuss our team’s selection.. So many times out NT got it all worng, anyone remember Ventura pitched Gabbiadini in a must-win match against Sweden?

  13. Susy, why whining again? Cuz a juve player got called up instead of ur Ac milan Player. Ur whining is sweet

  14. Maybe there is something that Mancini sees during the get together he doesn’t like whether it is technical or that Calabria did nit fit into the tactical system.. Just a thought…

  15. Not that I watch Milan matches but isn’t Calabria more important to them than Florenzi?

    While Florenzi is more versatile as he can play a number of positions, we are only here for a potentially 2 match Playoff.

    This is a riak by Mancio.

    Experience with the NT setup, De Sciglio has Calabria beat so maybe this was the determining factor.

  16. Tomori and Calabria would be like: “What do we have to do to play for our respective NT? Scale the Everest? Dived into the Mariana Trench? Win Nobel Prize? Walk on the moon?”

    Jokes aside, yay for more rest to the both of them.

  17. Florenzi is the one who messed up on Bulgaria goal that tied that game . Mancini should play with 5 midfield . We have the best mid stack them especially if we get to final and play Portugal . 4-3-3 won’t cut it unless they play with that same intensity as euro group stage

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