Mancini calls up Federico Gatti to Italy squad ahead of matches against France and Belgium

Roberto Mancini, the head coach of Italy, has decided to call up Federico Gatti, a defender from Juventus, to join the national team ahead of their next two matches against France and Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.

The Italian Football Federation has announced the call-up of Gatti, who is 28 years old, to bolster the defensive options for the national team before the last two matches in the group stage. The player is set to head to the Coverciano training center in the coming hours to join the camp.

The call-up of Juventus defender came after Gianluca Mancini, AS Roma's defender, withdrew from the squad due to injury. Mancini had previously decided to include young defender Matteo Palma, Udinese player, to compensate for the absence of the Roma player, before adding Gatti to his defensive options.

Gatti has previous international experience with the Italian national team, having played 8 matches in the "Azzurri" shirt. His last appearance was during the match against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League play-off for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which ended with Italy's exit on penalties.

Italy are set to host France on November 12 at San Siro in Milan, before traveling to Brussels to face Belgium on the 15th, in the final two rounds of Group A in the UEFA Nations League.

Italy are currently second in their group with 7 points, behind leaders France with 10 points. Belgium sit third with 6 points, while Türkiye are at the bottom of the table with no points. The Azzurri are aiming for positive results to secure qualification for the Quarter-Final.