With Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo sent home after being placed under investigation in a betting scandal, Italy have called Samuele Ricci as a replacement and will add another too.
The Azzurri are due to play Malta at the Stadio San Nicola in Bari on Saturday, then visit England at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday in their EURO 2024 qualifiers.
Newcastle United midfielder Tonali and Aston Villa forward Zaniolo were released from international duty this afternoon, as they were interviewed at the Coverciano training ground by police looking into allegations of illegal betting.
This evening, it was confirmed that coach Luciano Spalletti had decided to bulk up the squad by bringing in Torino midfielder Ricci.
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It is also reported that Matteo Politano will be called, although it remains to be seen if he has recovered from an injury sustained with Napoli.
Italy already lost Ivan Provedel, Ciro Immobile, Mateo Retegui and Lorenzo Pellegrini due to injuries for these qualifiers.
Mattia Zaccagni is not fully fit either and has only just joined training, while Federico Chiesa is likely to only be ready for the England match.
