The Serie A game Italy coach Gattuso can’t miss this weekend | OneFootball

The upcoming Serie A match between Fiorentina and Napoli could see up to 13 Italian players involved, making the Franchi showdown an unmissable appointment for Azzurri boss Gennaro Gattuso.

The lack of playing time of Italian players in Serie A is not a new issue and has already been widely debated in recent years.

Gattuso can’t miss Fiorentina vs Napoli

FLORENCE, ITALY – JANUARY 4: David Neres of SSC Napoli scores a goal during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Napoli at Stadio Artemio Franchi on January 4, 2025 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

It is not rare to see Serie A matches featuring no Italian players at all, but Saturday’s meeting between Fiorentina and Napoli at the Stadio Franchi will likely have a different taste.

As noted by TMW, the meeting between La Viola and the defending Serie A champions could see up to 13 players involved.

On the Viola side, Roberto Piccoli, Pietro Comuzzo, Luca Ranieri, Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, Rolando Mandragora, Nicolò Fagioli, and Moise Kean.

On the Partenopei’s side, there will be Alex Meret, Alessandro Buongiorno, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Spinazzola, Matteo Politano and Lorenzo Lucca.

Lack of Italian players in Serie A

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of Italy in action challenges for the ball with Vlasiy Sinyavskiy of Estonia 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)

It is not guaranteed that they’ll all start, but it’s fair to expect that most of them will get a decent amount of minutes on the pitch.

Italy boss Gattuso noted at a press conference earlier this month that only 97 Italian players were involved in Serie A Round 1.

Gattuso made his debut as Italy head coach during the September break, beating Estonia 5-0 and Israel 5-4.