epa11984157 Alessandro Buongiorno of Italy (R) gestures during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal, 2nd leg match between Germany and Italy in Dortmund, Germany, 23 March 2025. EPA-EFE/FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
Napoli star Alessandro Buongiorno has withdrawn from the Italy squad for games against Norway and Moldova and has been replaced by Fiorentina’s Luca Ranieri.
The Italy national team announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday morning that Fiorentina centre-back Ranieri would replace Buongiorno in the Azzurri squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
Official: Italy replace injured Buongiorno
Buongiorno hasn’t played a competitive match for over a month due to an adductor injury.
The Italian centre-back was unavailable for five of Napoli’s last eight Serie A matches, playing just 64 minutes against Torino on April 27 and spending the remaining two games on the bench.
Italy will debut in the World Cup qualifiers on June 6 away at Norway, while the second match will be played at home against Moldova on June 9.
Italy coach Luciano Spalletti will hold his first press conference of the international break today, speaking at Coverciano at 14:30 local time (13:30 BST). Football Italia will be among the accredited media.
Read more – Italy recall Acerbi, Orsolini and Zappacosta for 2026 World Cup qualifiers
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