Mancini expected to start vs Northern Ireland | OneFootball

In a few days, Italy will play one of the most important matches in recent years.

Against Northern Ireland, the national team hopes to secure a spot in the playoff final—where they would face either Wales or Bosnia—and finally secure qualification for the next World Cup.

Gennaro Gattuso’s Gianluca Mancini’s concerns have been averted.

The Giallorossi center-back attended the Italy training camp after Roma-Lecce, where he was forced to be substituted after 45 minutes with a calf problem.

The coach explained in the press conference that the defender’s problem was not serious, and his words were confirmed in today’s training session.

As reported by Sky Sport, Mancini trained regularly with the group. Gattuso had him, Sandro Tonali, and Riccardo Calafiori available, and with 48 hours to go before the match against Northern Ireland, he’s finalizing his lineup.

Italy is expected to line up with their classic 3-5-2 formation. The Giallorossi center-back is now a candidate for a starting spot in the defensive trio.

Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli, the other Giallorossi players called up by the coach, are expected to start from the bench to contribute during the match.