Rome, March 14 (LaPresse) – Italy’s national team is set for its first challenges of 2025, facing Germany in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals in a double encounter that could shape the team’s future. The two matches—scheduled for Thursday, March 20, at the 'Giuseppe Meazza' Stadium in Milan and Sunday, March 23, at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund—will not only determine qualification for the Finals, which Italy would host in June in Turin if victorious, but also impact the road to the 2026 World Cup. If the Azzurri advance, they will be placed in a group with Slovakia, Northern Ireland, and Luxembourg; if they lose, they will face Norway, Israel, Estonia, and Moldova.
Head coach Luciano Spalletti has called up 25 players, including first-time selections for Atalanta’s 2002-born defender Matteo Ruggeri and Torino’s 2003-born midfielder Cesare Casadei. Matteo Politano, last called up in November 2023, and Mattia Zaccagni, absent since September, return to the squad. The national team will gather on Sunday evening at Appiano Gentile, staying at Inter’s training headquarters until the afternoon of Saturday, March 22, when they will depart for Dortmund.
Here is the full squad list:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Destiny Udogie (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Cesare Casadei (Torino), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Samuele Ricci (Torino), Nicolò Rovella (Lazio), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle).
Forwards: Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese), Daniel Maldini (Atalanta), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
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