Gatti Called Up to Italy Squad as Bastoni's Disciplinary Record Comes Under Scrutiny

Juventus defender Federico Gatti was added to Italy's squad at the last minute on Sunday night for the Nations League matches against France and Belgium. According to reports, this may be because of concerns over the disciplinary record of Inter's Alessandro Bastoni.

Italy will host France at San Siro on Thursday in their final Group A match. On Sunday evening, they will travel to face Belgium. Head coach Roberto Mancini had already called up 18-year-old Udinese player Matteo Palma to replace the injured Roma defender Gianluca Mancini.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, there is serious concern that Bastoni will not be able to play against Belgium. Bastoni, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Niccolò Fagioli, Gianluca Scamacca and Antonio Vergara are one yellow card away from a suspension in the Nations League. Any of these players who is booked in the France match will not be able to play against Belgium. If Bastoni is suspended, the central defense will be made up of Giorgio Scalvini, Honest Ahanor, Matteo Palma, Daniele Ghilardi and Riccardo Calafiori.

Gatti is reportedly being added as a backup to bring more experience to the defense ahead of the final match. In the group, France lead with 10 points, Italy are second with 7 and Belgium are third with 6. The top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals. Türkiye, meanwhile, have lost all four of their matches and sit at the bottom of the group.