Gennaro Gattuso led his side to second in qualifying Group I
\n MILAN
\nItaly are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the World Cup as one of the planet\u2019s most important footballing nations heads to the qualifying play-offs in the midst of another identity crisis.
\nNorthern Ireland come to Bergamo for what promises to be a tense semi-final on Thursday as Italy desperately try to not miss a third consecutive World Cup.
\nGennaro Gattuso led Italy to second in qualifying Group I and has obtained some stability for the Azzurri following the sacking of the volatile Luciano Spalletti.
\nBut two heavy defeats dished out by group winners Norway were a stark reminder of how far the national team has fallen since last winning the World Cup 20 years ago \u2014 with Gattuso in midfield.
\nSince then Italy haven\u2019t played a knockout match in a World Cup finals, dumped out in the group stage as defending champions in 2010 and four years later, before failing to even reach the last two editions in Russia and Qatar.
\nBoth of those qualification failures came via the play-offs and were deeply traumatic events to a footballing hotbed which has lost its self-esteem while rival nations like France and Spain have flourished.
\nThe poor performance of Italy\u2019s clubs in this season\u2019s Champions League has only exacerbated a feeling of being left behind, to the point that missing this year\u2019s finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico would be seen almost as a death knell.
\n\u201cI really hope with all my heart that we can reach this goal, this group of players deserves it,\u201d Gattuso told reporters on Monday.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t stress the lads, they\u2019re well aware of what the stakes are. There will obviously be a bit of tension but we have to make sure we trasmit positivity.\u201d
\nPressure and injuries
\nGattuso has to deal not just with the pressure of the occasion but also a clutch of injuries which threaten to leave him without several important players for what he hopes will be two matches.
\nOne of Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina await Italy in the final should they get past Northern Ireland as expected.
\nProbably the key doubt is surrounding Sandro Tonali, who suffered a groin injury in Newcastle United\u2019s Champions League exit at Barcelona last week.
\nGattuso said on Monday that he hoped to have Tonali, an all-action midfielder, available for training in the lead-up to Thursday\u2019s match but the 25-year-old is by no means guaranteed to start.
\nFederico Chiesa, who hasn\u2019t featured for Italy since their dismal European Championship title defence in 2024, was dropped from the squad on Monday when Italy\u2019s medical staff ruled him unfit to play after he was originally selected in Gattuso\u2019s 28-man squad.
\n\u201cI had to make a decision. He didn\u2019t feel up for it, so he decided to return home, and I had to accept it,\u201d said Gattuso, who picked Bologna\u2019s Nicolo Cambiaghi to replace Chiesa.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t push. When someone wants to return home, it\u2019s right to let him do so.\u201d
\nMeanwhile Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca and central defenders Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini are all trying to recover in time from injuries, with Gattuso also saying that Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori was feeling \u201cdiscomfort\u201d on his arrival at the Coverciano training centre.
\nThat leaves Gattuso hoping for a drama-free night on Thursday and his players all being ready for a date with destiny in the final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gennaro Gattuso led his side to second in qualifying Group I MILAN Italy are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the World Cup as one of the planet\u2019s most important footballing nations heads to the qualifying play-offs in the midst of another identity crisis. Northern Ireland come to Bergamo for what promises to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-538284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n