Samuele Ricci leaves the national team camp after suffering a muscle injury on Saturday during the derby against Juventus. Luciano Spalletti announced this while speaking at Coverciano where Italy is in training to prepare for the last two Nations League games against Belgium and France. In his place will arrive the Juventus player Manuel Locatelli : «I have nothing against Manuel», Spalletti said in a press conference. «I didn't bring him to the European Championship criticizing that he lacked some things, now I see him doing them and I bring him back. As midfielders he and Rovella are doing very well, let's let them play and try to be confident».
Italy will play against Belgium on Thursday in Brussels and against France on Sunday at the Meazza, in the last two days of Group 2 of League A of the Nations League (both at 20:45). The Azzurri – first at +1 on the French and +6 on the Belgians – will only need to collect one point to mathematically qualify for the quarter-finals of the tournament . "It's a meeting of continuity, which we must give respect to what we've done so far: we've become a team. I'm very happy to see Kean and Retegui at the top of the scorers' charts. Moise has a few problems that need to be managed, he can recover in the next few days and we'll try to put him in the best conditions ." The first training session took place at 15:30.
(Unioneonline/r.sp.)