Barella, Belotti Italy competing against Switzerland
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Italian coach Roberto Mancini says midfielder Nicolo Barella and striker Andrea Belotti should be available for Friday’s World Cup qualifier at home in Switzerland to promote the European champions after losing key staff due to injury.
Italy are top of Group C with two games to go, but are 16 points clear of Switzerland, and the country that wins Friday’s game will take control of the team. Only the winning team is guaranteed a place in Qatar in next year’s final, and the runner-up faces the playoffs.
Italy will visit Northern Ireland in Monday’s final match, and Switzerland will host Bulgaria.
It will be Mancini’s difference Captain Giorgio Chiellini and first-choice striker Ciro Immobile Due to muscle injuries, Inter Milan midfielder Barella was forced out of muscle fatigue due to a 1-1 draw against AC Milan last Sunday.
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But the coach gave a positive update to Barella, one of Italy’s top players in the 2020 Euro Cup victory, and Belotti said he was likely to return to the situation due to an ankle injury in August.
“Barella is fine, he trained yesterday and I think he can be on the field tomorrow,” Mancini said at a press conference.
“Belotti is doing well, he will not be 100% physically because he is recovering from a serious injury. He may not have 90 minutes, so he would be fine if he scored in the first hour or so.”
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“We are sorry for Immobile and Chiellini, but it is the same for all the teams. There are always a lot of injuries at this stage of the season. But we are in a positive situation, we know what we are as a team. And we have to be calm.”
Mancini also hoped to return to Italy for the Olympic Stadium, where he won three Euro 2020 matches against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales to finally lay the groundwork for winning the championship.
“I’m sure the crowd will give us a big hand, it’s always nice to play at the Olympic Stadium, it’s a good atmosphere there and it will be the same tomorrow,” he added.
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