Roberto Mancini will make his second debut as head coach of the Italy national team against Belgium in the Nations League on Friday evening. However, Nicolo Zaniolo, the 23-year-old Udinese midfielder, has been left out of the matchday squad. According to reports, this decision is due to a physical issue stemming from a hamstring injury that kept him out of three Serie A matches for Udinese earlier this month.
Italy will go with a different attacking setup, with Moise Kean and Nicolo Cambiaghi supporting Pio Esposito at centre-forward. The 11 players who will watch the match from the stands include Massimo Pessina, Alessandro Bastoni (suspended), Daniele Ghilardi, Eddy Kouadio, Matteo Ruggeri, Samuele Ricci, Nicolo Fagioli, Samuele Inacio, Sebastiano Esposito, Antonio Vergara, and Zaniolo.
Mancini named a squad of 34 players for the September-October international break, which will see Italy take on Belgium, Turkiye (twice) and France over the coming weeks. The match against Belgium is a crucial one for Italy, and Mancini will be hoping his team can make a positive start to the campaign.