Italy team news: Tonali & Bastoni progress well, Palestra tested ahead of Politano
Gennaro Gattuso has received a significant pre-match boost with the majority of Italy team news trending in a positive direction ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup playoff semi-final against Northern Ireland in Bergamo, with only Gianluca Scamacca confirmed as unavailable.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the most encouraging updates concern Alessandro Bastoni and Sandro Tonali.
The Inter defender, who had appeared the most doubtful after sustaining an ankle injury in the Milan derby, has made remarkable progress at Coverciano, moving from low-intensity jogging to direction-changing sprints, and even striking the ball without discomfort.
Those who know him well insist that a place on the bench will not satisfy him, and a starting role remains a genuine possibility depending on how he responds in training today and in tomorrow’s final session.
Italy team news: Tonali & Calafiori fit, Palestra tested over Politano
Tonali, meanwhile, has overcome the thigh issue sustained during Barcelona’s Champions League tie and trained with good intensity, a timely boost for Gattuso in terms of Italy team news, who is counting on the Newcastle midfielder to provide leadership alongside Barella in the engine room.
Locatelli holds the advantage over Cristante for the third midfield spot.
Matteo Politano took part in only the first half of Monday’s session due to a minor calf complaint, with Marco Palestra, the Atalanta-owned Cagliari winger, tested in his place. Politano is expected to be passed fit, but Gattuso wants guarantees before committing to any selection.
Riccardo Calafiori is fully recovered and set to start on the left of a back three, with Mancini also having reassured the coaching staff over his calf.
To round off the latest batch of Italy team news, Scamacca remains the only certain absentee.