12 Italy players to watch in Inter vs. Atalanta ahead of World Cup play-off | OneFootball

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso is making his final assessments ahead of the World Cup play-off, and next weekend’s Serie A clash between Inter and Atalanta will give the Azzurri boss the chance to closely monitor 12 players who could be part of his squad.

Serie A table leaders Inter host Atalanta tomorrow, Saturday, March 14, at San Siro.

Both Nerazzurri sides have several players expected to be part of the Italy squad later this month, when the Azzurri will be involved in the World Cup play-offs. Others are in contention to get a spot in the squad that Gattuso will confirm next week.

As reported by Il Giorno (via FCInternews), the Inter players whom Gattuso will closely watch are Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Pio Esposito, Nicolò Barella, Davide Frattesi, and Federico Dimarco.

Dimarco, Bastoni and Esposito seem to have a guaranteed spot. Barella is also a regular in the Azzurri squad, but recent reports have suggested that his drop in form has caused concern for the Azzurri CT. The same goes for Frattesi, who is nowhere near the Inter starting XI.

Matteo Darmian and Francesco Acerbi are unlikely to be called up.

Several Atalanta players also hope to be part of the Azzurri squad for the World Cup play-offs.

UDINE, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Gennaro Gattuso, Head Coach of Italy, looks on prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Israel at Stadio Friuli on October 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Giorgio Scalvini is surely among the candidates in defence, and so are Marco Carnesecchi, Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori, even if the latter is currently injured and might not recover in time.

Other Italian Atalanta players who received regular playing time this season are Davide Zappacosta, Lorenzo Bernasconi and Raoul Bellanova.

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Alessandro Bastoni of Italy celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Italy will face Northern Ireland in the semi-final play-off in Bergamo on March 26, and if they progress to the final, they’ll visit Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.