Italy probable lineup vs Estonia: Juventus & Arsenal stars tipped to start | OneFootball

Only one Juventus player is tipped to start for Italy as they host Estonia in Bergamo in a must-win World Cup qualifier on Friday.

The Azzurri suffered a devastating loss at the hands of Norway in their first WC qualifier. Despite beating minnows Moldova in the following fixture, the FIGC had already decided to sack Luciano Spalletti.

The former Napoli and Roma boss has been replaced with 2006 World Cup hero, Gennaro Gattuso, who is now preparing for his Italy managerial debut.

So who will the Milan legend select in his maiden Azzurri starting lineup?

Italy’s expected started lineup on Gattuso’s debut

According to TuttoJuve, Locatelli will be Juve’s solitary representative, as he’s expected to start at the heart of the lineup, linking up with Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali.

The Juventus captain should thus get the nod at the expense of Lazio Regista Nicolo Rovella. The 27-year-old already played under Gattuso’s guidance during his early-career years at Milan.

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On the contrary, Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Gatti will be resigned to spots on the bench. The Italy head coach will instead field Inter star Federico Dimarco at left-back, while preferring the centre-back partnership of Alessandro Bastoni and Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori.

Manuel Locatelli set to star, Cambiaso & Gatti benched

Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo should complete the backline, filling in at right-back, while Manchester City’s latest signing, Gianluigi Donnarumma, should start in goal as usual, while donning the captain’s armband.

Finally, Matteo Politano and Mattia Zaccagni are the favourites to start on the wings, while Moise Kean and Mateo Retegui are vying for the striker role following Gianluca Scamacca’s latest injury setback. The source believes the Fiorentina bomber will most likely get the nod.

Italy Probable XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Dimarco; Barella, Locatelli, Tonali; Politano, Kean, Zaccagni