Nations League official line-ups: Turkiye vs. Italy

TIRRENIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 12: Michael Olabode Kayode of Italy U21 in action during the Friendly Match between Italy U21 and Italy U18 on October 12, 2023 in Tirrenia, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Italy are transformed by eight changes including Matteo Ruggeri and Michael Kayode debuts, plus the Esposito brothers, Davide Frattesi, Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Fagioli stepping in against Turkiye.

It kicks off at the Ataturk Spor Kompleski Matli Stadyumu in Bursa at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

This represents a head-to-head at the foot of Nations League Group A, as both teams started the tournament with home defeats.

The Azzurri lost 2-0 to Belgium, while Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye were narrowly beaten 1-0 by France.

Roberto Mancini makes a massive eight changes from the side that started on Friday, including the return of Bastoni after suspension.

There are senior Italy debuts for Brentford full-back Kayode and Aston Villa’s Ruggeri, the latter only called up because Federico Dimarco withdrew from the squad due to injury.

Nicolò Zaniolo was ruled out by a muscular injury, but 10 players didn’t even make the trip to Turkiye amid fitness concerns, including Nicolò Barella, Gianluca Mancini, Diego Coppola, all of whom had started against Belgium, Honest Ahanor, Eddy Kouadio, Samuele Ricci, Samuele Inacio, Mohamed Ali Zoma and Daniel Maldini.

It means Giorgio Scalvini, Frattesi, Fagioli and Giacomo Raspadori step in, so the only remaining players who started last week are Francesco Pio Esposito, Sandro Tonali and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

A big surprise is that Sebastiano Esposito starts alongside his younger brother, Pio.

Montella is dealing with an injury crisis for Turkiye, missing the likes of Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and former Sassuolo defender Mert Muldur.

Goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was sent off in the 1-0 defeat to France, so he is suspended here and replaced by Altay Bayindir.

There were also major doubts around Orkun Kokcu after a toe trauma in his right foot, but he is in the starting XI.

Zeki Celik is familiar to Serie A fans from first Roma and now Juventus.

The star man in the absence of Yildiz is now Real Madrid talent Arda Guler.

Turkiye: Altay Bayindir; Celik, Demiral, Ozan Kabak; Oguz Aydin, Salih Ozcan, Orkun Kokcu, Eren Elmali; Arda Guler, Can Uzun; Baris Alper Yilmaz

Turkiye bench: Muhammed Sengezer, Okan Kocuk, Samet Akaydin, Kerem Akturkoglu, Demir Ege Tiknaz, Deniz Gul, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Ismail Yuksek, Irfan Can Kahveci, Yunus Akgun, Ferdi Kadioglu, Mustafa Eskihellac

Italy: Donnarumma; Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Frattesi, Tonali, Fagioli; Raspadori, P Esposito, S Esposito

Italy bench: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Romano, Calafiori, Kean, Scamacca, Mandragora, Doumbia, Cambiaghi, Vergara, Ghilardi, Di Lorenzo