Gattuso ‘has spoken to’ 50 Italy players ahead of World Cup play-offs | OneFootball

Gennaro Gattuso and his staff have been meeting and speaking with a long list of Italy players ahead of March’s World Cup play-offs, with around 50 names on the radar, Gazzetta suggests.

Italy have not yet secured their place at the 2026 World Cup in North America and must navigate the play-offs. The Azzurri face Northern Ireland in Bergamo on March 26, then, if they win, a one-off final away to Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina a few days later.

Gattuso sought a get-together before March, the first since the November international break, but the club schedule prevented it. Instead, staff have held small-group meetings and dinners to keep connections alive.

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guglielmo Vicario, Marco Carnesecchi, Elia Caprile, Alex Meret. Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, Gianluca Mancini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Buongiorno, Matteo Gabbia, Giorgio Scalvini, Federico Gatti, Diego Coppola, Giovanni Leoni, Honest Ahanor.

Wing-backs: Andrea Cambiaso, Marco Palestra, Federico Dimarco, Destiny Udogie, Leonardo Spinazzola. Midfielders: Nicolo Barella, Sandro Tonali, Manuel Locatelli, Davide Frattesi, Marco Verratti, Nicolo Rovella, Samuele Ricci, Niccolo Pisilli, Fabio Miretti, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Giovanni Fabbian, Nicolo Fagioli, Cesare Casadei.

Trequartistas and wingers: Matteo Politano, Mattia Zaccagni, Antonio Vergara, Federico Chiesa, Daniel Maldini, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolo Zaniolo. Strikers: Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, Pio Esposito, Gianluca Scamacca, Giacomo Raspadori, Wilfried Gnonto.

Source: Football Italia