Chiesa out of Italy squad for Northern Ireland play-off
Federico Chiesa has won 51 caps with Italy, making his debut in 2018
- Published
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa has been ruled out of Italy's World Cup play-off semi-final with Northern Ireland on Thursday (19:45 GMT).
The 28-year-old was named in a first Italian squad for two years by manager Gennaro Gattuso but has been forced to withdraw.
Chiesa's last international appearance came in the Euro 2024 last-16 encounter against Switzerland, and Bolonga forward Nicolò Cambiaghi has been called up in his place.
Midfielder Sandro Tonali remains in the squad despite missing Newcastle United's derby defeat by Sunderland on Sunday.
The winner of the play-off semi-final will travel to face either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina four days later for a spot in this summer's World Cup finals.
There's no place in the squad for Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, while Cagliari defender Marco Palestra gets a first senior call-up.
Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli and Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini are also back in the fold for the first time in two years.
The four-time winners are bidding to make a World Cup return after failing to qualify for the past two tournaments.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill named his squad on Monday, but Sunderland defender Dan Ballard is set to miss out through injury.
Italy squad:
Goalkeepers: Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Alex Meret (Napoli).
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Marco Palestra (Cagliari), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Leonardo Spinazzola (Napoli).
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter Milan), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Niccolo Pisilli (Roma), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle).
Forwards: Nicolo Cambiaghi (Bolonga), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter Milan), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atalanta), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta).