Overview

• Italy face Estonia on Sept 5 in Bergamo before playing Israel on Sept 8 in Debrecen, Hungary, in Gennaro Gattuso’s first matches in charge.
• Thursday reports identify six expected starters: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella, Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean.
• Gattuso has confirmed a four-man defense, with 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 under consideration and Riccardo Calafiori, Federico Dimarco, Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Politano and Mattia Zaccagni in contention.
• The squad has been reduced by Gianluca Scamacca’s exit due to knee pain, and the roster must be cut to 23 for the qualifier.
• Italy trail Norway by nine points with a much worse goal difference, making wins essential to stay in the race, while protests and an AIAC letter to FIGC highlight political pressure around the Israel fixture.