ROME. In Palermo, to march towards the World Cup, coach Roberto Mancini intends to rely on his 4-3-3 scheme with Donnarumma, Florenzi, Mancini, Bastoni, Emerson in defense, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti in midfield and Berardi, Immobile , Insigne in attack. Live Italy-North Macedonia tonight at 20.45 on Rai 1.
In or out
Inside, to keep hoping, or outside: now there are no more alternatives for the national team of Roberto Mancini, reigning European champion but forced into the play-offs to win a place at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Tonight, in view of the first match with North Macedonia, Palermo’s Renzo Barbera will boil with passion and enthusiasm to push the Azzurri to take back what in 2017, on the occasion of the playoffs for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Russia, was left miserably in the hands of Sweden. Over 30 thousand hearts and voices will beat and sing in unison, to charge a team that can no longer afford to fail.
Formations
Coach Mancini is well aware of this and will therefore try to send the best possible line-up on the field, despite some lack of relief. Federico Chiesa will be missing due to a serious injury to the cruciate ligament of the knee, as well as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who also injured his knee in the last round of the championship, was forced to forfeit in extremis. Bonucci and Chiellini are also not at their best and for this reason the defense risks being dramatically distorted compared to the “magic nights” of Euro 2020. Donnarumma will act between the posts, Florenzi and Emerson will be the full backs (Spinazzola has not yet recovered from the rupture of the tendon d’Achille), the Roma player Mancini and the interista Bastoni are candidates for the two shirts as owners in the center of the defense. The three in midfield will be the usual Barella, Jorginho and Verratti, while in attack, with the two Campani Immobile and Insigne, it will be the turn of a Berardi in a splendid moment of form, currently Sassuolo’s top scorer with 14 goals scored in the league together with 10 assists
North Macedonia
On the other hand, there will be a Macedonia that will have nothing to lose and that wants to continue dreaming of a historic first qualification for a world championship. The coach Milevski, however, will have to do without the rising star of the Macedonian representative, Eljif Elmas, forced to remain in the pits due to disqualification. The Giallorossi team will take the field with a classic 4-3-3: between the posts Dimitrievski, a defensive line made up of Stefan Ristovski, Velkovski, Musliu and Alioski, while in midfield Bardhi will act centrally with Ademi and Nikolov on the sides. In the offensive trident Churlinov and the former Palermo Trajkovski on the sides, while the striker will be Milan Ristovski.