After the criticism—much of it undue—for his poor performance on Friday, Alessandro Romano is back on the bench. The Cagliari midfielder is not among the starting XI for Turkey vs. Italy, the Azzurri's second Nations League match, kicking off tonight at 8:45 PM in Bursa. Roberto Mancini is opting for a strong rotation, to manage the load given the four games in such a short time ( which is why Nicolò Barella and fellow Rossoblu player Daniel Maldini didn't even start ), but also because his overall performance in his debut against Belgium was very poor.
There are eight new Azzurri players compared to three days ago, with the only confirmed players being captain Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, Sandro Tonali in midfield, and Francesco Pio Esposito in attack. The Turkey-Italy match will see Sebastiano Esposito, the former Cagliari striker now at Sassuolo, make his full international debut , playing alongside his brother. Among the various new additions, Alessandro Bastoni returns after suspension, and Nicolò Fagioli will replace Romano at playmaker.
These are the official lineups for Turkey-Italy: kick-off is at 20.45 , referee is Englishman Michael Oliver.
Turkey (3-4-2-1): Bayındır; Çelik, Demiral, Ozan Kabak; Aydın, Kökçü, Özcan, Elmalı; Arda Güler, Can Uzun; Yılmaz.
On the bench: Şengezer, Okan Kocuk, Akaydin, Aktürkoğlu, Tıknaz, Gül, Bardakcı, Yüksek, Can Kahveci, Akgün, Kadıoğlu, Eskihellaç.
Coach: Vincenzo Montella.
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Frattesi, Fagioli, Tonali; S. Esposito, FP Esposito, Raspadori.
On the bench: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Romano, Calafiori, Kean, Scamacca, Mandragora, Doumbia, Cambiaghi, Vergara, Ghilardi, Di Lorenzo.
Coach: Roberto Mancini.
