Football Italia
·16 November 2025
World Cup qualifiers: Italy vs. Norway – probable line-ups and where to watch on TV

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·16 November 2025

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso will switch to a 3-5-2 formation for a game against Erling Haaland’s Norway this evening, starting Francesco Pio Esposito and Mateo Retegui up front.
It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT) at San Siro.
It’s the final match of Europe’s World Cup qualifying Group I, which Norway lead by three points over the Azzurri.

Francesco Pio Esposito celebrates his first senior Italy goal against Estonia (@azzurri)
Italy’s win, however, won’t be enough to win the group as the Azzurri will need a victory by nine goals to overtake their rivals at the top of the table.
Multiple sources, including Repubblica, report that Gattuso will switch to a three-man defence with Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Bastoni at the back.

OSLO, NORWAY – NOVEMBER 13: Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Norway and Estonia at Ullevaal Stadion on November 13, 2025 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images)
Riccardo Calafiori has been ruled out due to a hip injury.
Nicolò Barella served a one-game ban in the previous match and returns to the starting XI. Sandro Tonali is not expected to be involved as he’s on a yellow card and he’d miss the playoff semifinal in March 2026 if he’s booked tonight.
Davide Frattesi and Andrea Cambiaso are also one yellow card away from suspension.
The match is available on Amazon Prime TV in the UK and Ireland, and on Fox Sports 1, Fubo, Fox One, Fox Sports app and website in the USA.
Italy (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni; Politano, Barella, Locatelli, Frattesi, Dimarco; Retegui, Esposito.
Norway (4-4-2): Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe; Bobb, Berge, Berg, Nusa; Sorloth, Haaland.









































