Mancini explains why he left Sebastiano Esposito out of Italy squad to face Belgium

BOLOGNA - OCTOBER 05: Roberto Mancini, Manager of Italy, looks on before the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall'Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026 in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Roberto Mancini gave a brief interview to Rai ahead of Italy’s Nations League clash against Belgium on Sunday, paying his respects to the victims of the Heysel disaster and explaining why he decided to leave Sebastiano Esposito out of his matchday squad. 

Mancini on Belgium vs. Italy, Seba Esposito omission and Heysel disaster

Italy are in Brussels for their final fixture of the Nations League group stage on Sunday evening. The Azzurri top the group on 10 points ahead of kick-off, ahead of France on 10, Belgium on nine and Turkey on zero. 

Italy require a draw to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals and in all likelihood a victory to secure top spot. If Italy lose, they will require Turkey to beat Belgium in order to still qualify for the quarter-finals. 

Head coach Mancini spoke briefly to Rai a few hours before kick-off. He says that his players ‘deserve’ qualification for the next round of the Nations League given the work they have put in, but does not need reminding that the job is far from over. 

“The boys deserve to get through to the last eight of the Nations League because they’re doing an extraordinary job, but there’s still a lot to do,” said Mancini. 

“France are among the top three sides in the world and Belgium are not far behind them,” he added.  

When asked how to stop Belgium’s creator-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne, Mancini simply replied: “By not allowing him to play.”

As is customary for Nations League group stage fixtures, Mancini has whittled his list of players down to a matchday squad of 23. Davide Frattesi and Nicolo Cambiaghi have not recovered from the France game on Thursday night and have been left out of the squad. 

The surprising omission is Sebastiano Esposito, who missed a penalty during Italy’s 3-1 victory over France on Thursday night. Samuele Ricci, Federico Gatti and Matteo Palma have also been left out of the matchday squad to face Belgium. 

Asked if Seba Esposito had been left out as a ‘punishment’ for missing the penalty against France, Mancini replied: “Don’t make me laugh. It’s just a technical decision, he’s played in practically every game. 

“It’s a shame that we won’t have Frattesi or Cambiaghi, who were decisive in the game against France. Dimarco can also play as an attacking winger.”

Lastly, Mancini was asked about his memories of the Heysel disaster in Brussels back in 1985. 

“We will never forget a tragedy as immense as this,” said Mancini. “I remember everything from that day of May 29, 1985. I played for Sampdoria at the time, but I am a Juventus supporter.”