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Lithuania national football team
World Cup Qualifying - Europe | Group Stage
Mar 31, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
Vilniaus LFF stadionas
Italy national football team

Lithuania
0 - 2
Italy


Simkus (27'), Vaitkunas (77'), Kazlauskas (90+4')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Sensi (48'), Immobile (90+4' pen.)
Pellegrini (14'), Pessina (32'), Locatelli (71')

How Italy could line up against Lithuania

How Italy could line up against Lithuania
© Reuters
Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at how Italy could line up for Wednesday's World Cup Qualifying clash with Lithuania.

Roberto Mancini's unstoppable Azzurri machine tackle their third competitive game in the space of a week on Wednesday, so are set to make a number of changes to the side that saw off Bulgaria on Sunday night.

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini and the in-form Sassuolo forward pairing of Francesco Caputo and Domenico Berardi left the Italy camp due to injury ahead of the trip to Sofia, while Marco Verratti and Alessandro Florenzi have subsequently returned to Paris - weakening further Mancini's original 38-man squad.

Despite probably being a contender to come into the lineup, Freiburg forward Vincenzo Grifo will not travel to Lithuania because of newly-imposed travel restrictions in Germany. The five-times-capped attacker would have been prevented from playing for his club next weekend had he stayed on, so agreed an early exit with Mancini.

As versatile midfielder Bryan Cristante, striker Moise Kean and Chelsea's Brazil-born playmaker Jorginho previously pulled out, the former Manchester City manager may be forced to introduce some fresh faces in Vilnius.

Another naturalised Brazilian, Rafael Toloi, is a strong contender to make his debut in defence - given Chiellini's absence and Leonardo Bonucci already having played twice in short order - while Inter's impressive young centre-back Alessandro Bastoni is also vying for a start in the back four.

Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne is in peak form, but is also likely to be rested against even weaker opposition, with Stephan El Shaarawy and Federico Bernardeschi in contention to take his place in the attacking trident.

In the centre-forward's role, Torino striker Andrea Belotti may swap shifts with Ciro Immobile - who has been involved in seven goals from his last seven starts at international level - and instead feature from the bench if required.

Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Emerson, Bastoni, Toloi, Di Lorenzo; Sensi, Locatelli, Pellegrini; El Shaarawy, Immobile, Chiesa

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