The final two EURO 2024 qualifying matches are coming up for the Azzurri, who will face North Macedonia at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday 17 November before taking on Ukraine at the BayArena in Leverkusen. At stake is second place in Group C and direct qualification for the 2024 European Championship in Germany. Italy have their destiny in their own hands: a win against North Macedonia would mean that a draw would be enough to finish second by virtue of head-to-head results. A draw or defeat to the North Macedonians would make it obligatory for Luciano Spalletti’s side to win their final game against Ukraine.

29 players have been called up by the Head Coach for the upcoming fixtures. Davide Calabria has been named in the squad for the first time since June 2022, while Buongiorno, Toloi and Jorginho are all also set to return to the Azzurri fold five months on from the Nations League finals. The two new faces are those of Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso and Monza midfielder Andrea Colpani, both of whom have previously been involved in training camps dedicated to players of interest for the first team.

The Azzurri will meet up at the Federal Technical Centre on Sunday and will remain there until Friday, when they’ll make their way to Rome and play North Macedonia in the evening. The team will then return to Florence before heading to Leverkusen on Sunday, the day before the match against Ukraine.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Ivan Provedel (Lazio), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Davide Calabria (AC Milan), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Giacomo Bonaventura (Fiorentina), Andrea Colpani (Monza), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Jorginho (Arsenal), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus);
Forwards: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Moise Kean (Juventus), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Nicolò Zaniolo (Aston Villa).

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH NORTH MACEDONIA AND UKRAINE.
The Azzurri have played four matches against the North Macedonians, who have never lost in Italy and emerged victorious in the playoff semi-final for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. There have been nine meetings with Ukraine (seven wins and two draws), who Italy have already faced in Germany before: a 3-0 victory in the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals thanks to a goal from Zambrotta and a Toni brace. The National Team will take to the pitch for the 64th time in Rome, whereas Leverkusen is set to become the 13th German city to stage a match involving Italy.

HALL OF FAME ON MONDAY. On the day that the Azzurri hold their first training session, the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano will host the Italian Football Hall of Fame, which was established by the FIGC and Fondazione Museo del Calcio (Football Museum Foundation) in 2011 to celebrate the figures who have made an unforgettable impact on the history of Italian football.

The event is scheduled to begin at 18:30 CET and will see Federal President Gabriele Gravina, Head Coach Luciano Spalletti and Delegation Head Gigi Buffon all speak. Gianfranco Zola, Alessandro Altobelli, Cristiana Girelli, Ernesto Pellegrini and the young Tuscan referee Luca Martelli will be among the awardees in attendance, with the latter set to receive the Davide Astori Fair Play award.