35 players have been called up by Roberto Mancini: after more than three years Mario Balotelli returns to wear the blue shirt, while goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, defenders Luiz Felipe and Giorgio Scalvini, midfielders Nicolò Fagioli, Davide Frattesi are on their first call to the national team and Samuele Ricci and forward Joao Pedro. Carnesecchi and Fagioli had already been called up in April 2019 for an internship reserved for young people.
In the next few hours, a note from the FIGC reads, the players of the blue group currently injured could be added to the list to take part in the preparatory tactical work for the March matches. The meeting is set for 12 noon on Wednesday 26 January at the Federal Technical Center, with the coach holding a remote press conference at 1.15 pm and then directing the first of three training sessions in the afternoon.
Here is the list of those called up.
Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Alex Meret (Naples), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa)
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Davide Calabria (Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Naples), Alessandro Florenzi (Milan), Luiz Felipe (Lazio) , Gianluca Mancini (Rome), Luca Pellegrini (Juventus), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta)
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Rome), Nicolò Fagioli (Cremonese), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Samuele Ricci (Empoli), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Sandro Tonali (Milan)
Forwards: Mario Balotelli (Adana Demirspor), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Naples), Joao Pedro (Cagliari), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolò Zaniolo (Rome).