Inter players Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella are set to start Italy’s 2022 World CUp qualifier against Rome this evening.
This according to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, who report that the Nerazzurri pair are a part of Italian national team manager Roberto Mancini’s starting eleven selected for the fixture.
The Azzurri are set for their first competitive action since the EURO 2020 final in which they triumphed on penalties against England, a match in which Barella started having been a regular fixture in Mancini’s team.
Bastoni, who was part of the squad for the Euros but not a regular startup, will join him in the team for tonight’s match against Bulgaria, with the 22-year-old set to partner Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci in the heart of Italy’s defense.
On-loan AC Milan right-back Alessandro Florezni and Emerson Palmieri, currently on loan at Lyon from Chelsea complete the defense, while Barella will be joined in midfield by Chelsea’s Jorginho and Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti as he was for much of the Euros.
In attack, Juventus star Federico Chiesa and Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne are set to play either side of Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.
