FLORENCE, Italy: Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa has been called up by Italy for the first time in almost two years for the upcoming World Cup playoffs, with the Azzurri desperate to avoid missing a third consecutive edition.
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Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso named a 28-man squad on Friday.
The four-time World Cup champion need to beat Northern Ireland in the playoffs on Thursday in Bergamo and then Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away — five days later — to avoid going at least 16 years without playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.
Chiesa, who helped Italy win the European Championship in 2021, made the last of his 51 international appearances at Euro 2024, in the loss to Switzerland in the round of 16.
