Giacomo Raspadori is the favourite to start as a centre-forward, with Jorginho and Federico Chiesa, while Federico Gatti steps in for injured Alessandro Bastoni when Italy host North Macedonia.
It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday at 19.45 GMT.
The Azzurri need four points from the remaining two games against North Macedonia and Ukraine to secure qualification for EURO 2024 and avoid the play-offs.
Coach Luciano Spalletti has been forced to do without several players who pulled out through injury, including Bastoni, Manuel Locatelli, Mateo Retegui, Davide Calabria, Rafael Toloi, Cristiano Biraghi and Giorgio Scalvini.
This limits the options in defence, so Juventus centre-back Gatti steps into the all-Inter group of Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi and Federico Dimarco, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo is suspended.
Jorginho had not been called up since the Nations League Final Four, but goes straight into the starting XI for his first cap under Spalletti.
Raspadori is the favourite to be a centre-forward rather than Gianluca Scamacca, flanked by Chiesa and Domenico Barella.
Probable line-ups
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Darmian, Gatti, Acerbi, Dimarco; Barella, Jorginho, Bonaventura; Berardi, Raspadori, Chiesa
North Macedonia (3-5-2): Dimitrievski; Manev, Serafimov, Musliu; Ashkovski, Elezi, Atanasov, Bardhi, Alioski; Elmas, Miovski
Don’t wanna hear any excuses for this game. With that lineup we should be smashing a team like Macedonia 4-0.
We won’t though, we will scrape a 1-0 or draw 1-1, and we’ll have even more pressure on us for the Ukraine game. Because we are Italy and we don’t do anything easily. I have always stuck up for Italy through thick and thin, but I am personally running out of patience and it’s time for them to start destroying these small teams like England or France would do.
Am I the only one, or one of the few that does not understand this obsession we have (and Inter for that matter) with playing Acerbi??
@Dan – Agreed. Mancini, Scalvini, or Rugani seem to me to be better options, but the decision makers will choose experience over age and even over quality.
@Green white Red-Mancini is overrated and guaranteed to get cards plus easily beaten when faced with the good attacker.Bourgiorno, Acerbi and Rugani are better than. Mancini, Scalvini, and Bastoni.
Finally we get to see Chiesa and Berardi. two of Europe’s best wingers, playing together. This has happened very few times, the last being the Nations League game versus Belgium several years ago -which was successful. I really believe they will thrive with Raspadori in the central position as he is elusive – making him difficult to mark. I think this is Italy’s ideal strike force, and I cannot wait to see it.
My only doubt is with regard to physicality. In games against teams wanting to park the bus, I’d rather play a more traditional and physical number 9 – like Scamacca. If it were up to me I’d play Chiesa, Scamacca, and Berardi versus North Macedonia and insert Raspadori in for Scamacca in the second game against Ukraine.
@Winn – I’ll agree without you about Mancini. His temper has gotten the better of him, but Buongiorno over Scalvini? Atalanta is in 5th and Torino is in 11th at the moment. Atalanta has a lower goals conceded average at the moment, so it’s safe to conclude the better defence with Scalvini getting enough playing time. And I’m not a fan of either Torino or Atalanta. And Italy needs to do what your user name says, Winn. On that I’m sure we agree.