Which players are guaranteed a place in Italy squad vs. Germany

Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Italy, interacts with Mateo Retegui of Italy after the team’s defeat in the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage match between Spain and Italy at Arena AufSchalke on June 20, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images for FIGC)

Luciano Spalletti will make changes to his Italy team for March games against Germany, but according to Gazzetta, 18 players are already guaranteed a place in the Azzurri squad for next month’s matches.

Italy will meet Germany in the Nations League quarter-finals next month, and Spalletti has already suggested that he will call more than 22-23 players for upcoming matches.

Gazzetta has named eight outfield players fighting to return to the Italy squad or make it to the senior team for the first time, including new Torino signing Cesare Casadei.

At the same time, 18 players will surely be called up for games against Germany: Gigio Donnarumma in goal, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Riccardo Calafiori, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Gatti, Alessandro Buongiorno, Andrea Cambiaso, Destiny Udogie, and Federico Dimarco in defence.

Samuele Ricci, Nicolò Rovella, Sandro Tonali, Davide Frattesi, and Nicolò Barella are guaranteed spots in central midfield, while Mateo Retegui, Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, and Daniel Maldini will be the strikers.

According to Gazzetta, five goalkeepers are fighting to join Donnarumma in goal. Marco Carnesecchi has been praised by Spalletti, so he will probably be called up, leaving the last place between the sticks for Guglielmo Vicario, Alex Meret, Ivan Provedel, or Michele Di Gregorio.

Spalletti is expected to line up his Italy side with a 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 system against Germany.

Players with guaranteed Italy place vs. Germany, according to Gazzetta

Goalkeepers: Donnarumma

Defenders: Di Lorenzo, Calafiori, Bastoni, Gatti, Buongiorno, Cambiaso, Udogie, Dimarco

Midfielders: Ricci, Rovella, Tonali, Frattesi, Barella

Strikers: Retegui, Kean, Raspadori, Maldini

Source: Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, February 25, 2025, page 31