World Cup 2026 Qualifications: Injacture Doubt Sandro Tonali picked by Gattuso in Italy Squad

Sandro Tonali is suitable for playing in the upcoming world cup qualifications of Italy against Estonia and Israel after repairing a shoulder injury on time to be picked in the first Azzurri team of Gennaro Gattuso on Friday.

Midfielder Tonali was a doubt for the two group I matches after the knock he picked up in the dramatic 3-2 loss of Newcastle United for Liverpool last weekend.

But the 25-year-old is one of the 28 players chosen by Gattuso, who replaced the fired Luciano Spalletti in June and is accused of trying to get Italy to his first world cup in Brazil since 2014.

Gianluca Scamacca has been back in the team for the first time since the Euro 2024 campaign from Italy after the impressive return of the Atalanta striker of a long-term knee injury last weekend.

Promising teenage defender Giovanni Leoni, who recently signed for Liverpool, is one of the three new faces for Italy alongside Bologna Middevelder Giovanni Fabbian and the young Inter Milan attacker Francesco Pio Esposito.

Italy runs the risk of missing a third consecutive world cup after a troubled start of his qualification edges left the nine points behind the group I leader Norway.

Gattuso has a tough job in the hands of just the top location in the group that gives automatic qualification to the final of next year in the US, Canada and Mexico, even because Italy has played two more games than Norway.

In addition to the significant point gap, Italy has a target difference that is 12 goals worse than Norway, which inserted 3-0 in Italy in June.

That leaves Italy with the play -offs, from which it has not reached the last two tournaments, because it is the only realistic chance of qualifying.

Italy will play Estland in Bergamo next Friday evening before he travels to Debrecen in Hungary to face Israel the following Monday.

Published on August 29, 2025