Sunday 2 May 2010

[WC2010] Lippi names get-together squad

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has called up 29 players for a three-day pre-World Cup training camp in Rome.

The Azzurri squad will gather at the Hotel Parco La Borghesiana in the Italian capital on Monday before training at La Borghesiana sports centre.

Lippi will be without the services of Inter and Roma players, who are involved in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final.


Francesco Totti, considering coming out of international retirement for the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa, was therefore not considered, alongside club team mates Luca Toni and Daniele De Rossi.

De Rossi is certain to be in South Africa but Toni still needs to prove he is back to his best.

Lippi sprang no real surprises with Cagliari midfielder Andrea Cossu, Bari defender Leonardo Bonucci and Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu keeping their places after receiving their first call-ups for the 0-0 friendly draw with Cameroon in March.

Other than established players coming back after injury, Juventus midfielder Antonio Candreva and Genoa defender Salvatore Bocchetti also return to the squad.

Amauri's hopes of playing at the World Cup look to be over after the Brazil-born Juventus striker was not included in the squad.

The 29-year-old, never capped by Brazil after being forced by his club to turn down a late call-up last year, received Italian citizenship last month after months of bureaucracy held up the process.

Lippi had promised to consider Amauri once he became Italian but the lengthy wait and the striker's poor recent form for Juve have cost him.

The Azzurri will play friendlies against Mexico on June 3 in Brussels and against Switzerland two days later in Geneva as they round off their World Cup preparations ahead of this summer's finals in South Africa.

The world champions, who will face Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F, must whittle down their squad to 23 names before the tournament.

Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo).
Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Fabio Grosso (Juventus), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Gianluca Zambrotta (Milan).
Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Antonio Candreva (Juventus), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).
Forwards: Marco Borriello (Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli).

World Cup countdown
> A 30-man provisional World Cup squad will be named on May 11.
> To get accustomed to the altitude in South Africa, Italy will hold their pre-tournament training camp in the northern Sestriere mountains in Torino, rather than at their traditional base of Coverciano in Firenze, starting on May 23.
> Final 23-man squad travelling to South Africa will be announced and officially handed to FIFA on June 1.
> Italy play Mexico (in Brussels, Belgium on June 3) and Switzerland (in Geneva, Switzerland on June 5) in their final warm-up games.
> Italy will travel to South Africa on June 8. They will train at Southdowns College in Irene - between Johannesburg and Pretoria - and stay at the nearby Leriba Lodge hotel in Centurion for the duration of the tournament.
> Italy open the defence of their world title in Group F against Paraguay in Cape Town on June 14, then play New Zealand in Nelspruit on June 20 and Slovakia in Johannesburg on June 24.

Source: FIGC

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