Which Italy players Gattuso will scout this weekend in Serie A
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Gennaro Gattuso will be in the stands to watch Atalanta-Napoli on Sunday as several of their players could be part of the Italy squad for the World Cup play-off in March.
Italy coach Gattuso will be in Bergamo on Sunday to watch a Serie A match between Atalanta and Napoli, Gazzetta (via TMW) reports.
Nerazzurri and Partenopei have several Italian players who could be part of the squad next month, when the World Cup play-off takes place.
Marco Carnesecchi and Alex Meret will likely compete for a spot as a third-choice goalkeeper behind Gigio Donnarumma and Guglielmo Vicario, but while Carnesecchi will surely start for Atalanta, Meret will compete for a starting spot at Napoli with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Gattuso will also scout Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, who has two goals in 12 Serie A appearances this season but has played only 10 minutes in the Champions League this term.
The 22-year-old made his senior Italy debut in 2022, at 18, in a Nations League game against Germany and would have been part of the Azzurri squad at Euro 2024 had he not suffered a cruciate ligament injury just a few weeks before the start of the tournament.
His teammate Honest Ahanor is also on Gattuso’s agenda. The 17-year-old was born in Italy to Nigerian parents and has decided to represent the Azzurri, though he’ll only be eligible after turning 18 and obtaining his Italian passport.
The Napoli game will be a meaningful test for Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca, who has been struggling in recent weeks and has only netted once in 22 international appearances.
Lorenzo Bernasconi is getting regular playing time and is also being watched by Gattuso and his staff.
As for Napoli, Giovanni Di Lorenzo is injured, but Gattuso’s assistant Leonardo Bonucci already watched attacking midfielder Antonio Vergara in action during Genoa-Napoli a couple of weeks ago.
Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano are getting regular playing time under Conte and remain on Gattuso’s agenda.
The Italy coach met many of his Azzurri players for dinner over the last few weeks after being unable to hold a two-day training camp because of club commitments.
Italy will face Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semifinal on March 26 and, if they progress to the final, they’ll visit Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.