Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Italy include seven new players in training camp squad ahead of Euros

Italy coach Antonio Conte has named a squad of 28 players for a pre-Euro 2016 training camp, with Sunderland forward Fabio Borini and West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna featuring.

Conte has excluded players from Juventus and AC Milan, who contest the Coppa Italia final on Saturday, as well as any other players involved in other countries' cup finals, such as PSG's Thiago Motta or Manchester United's Matteo Darmian.

He will take a closer look at some fringe players ahead of naming a reduced squad next Monday, including seven new faces. He will deliver his final list of 23 names to UEFA on May 31.

Borini is one of six forwards, including Southampton's Graziano Pelle and Genoa's Leonardo Pavoletti. Inter Milan's Eder will be given another chance to impress, despite poor domestic form since joining the Nerazzurri from Sampdoria in the winter, while Ciro Immobile, who was first choice at the 2014 World Cup, is also on the list.

With both Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio ruled out due to injury, the midfield is where Conte's hardest decisions are likely to be made, and Roma's Daniele De Rossi is included.

Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco were not included with the MLS season in full swing.

Torino's Davide Zappacosta and Marco Benassi as well as Danilo Cataldi of Lazio are some of the new faces who will be looking to stake their claim, together with Antonio Candreva, Alessandro Florenzi and Emanuele Giaccherini, who are regarded as certainties to make the final 23. 

In defence, Lorenzo Tonelli is one of the few newcomers, with Armando Izzo, while Juve's Leonardo Bonucci is part of the squad since he will be suspended for Sunday's cup final.

Federico Marchetti, Antonio Mirante and Marco Sportiello are the three goalkeepers, although with Gianluigi Buffon, Salvatore Sirigu and Gianluigi Donnarumma all absent for club commitments, it is possible that none of that trio will remain with the squad beyond Saturday.

Conte will welcome his players to the Italian FA's Coverciano training facilities on Wednesday and he will put them through their paces for three days before deciding who to keep and who to send home.

Those players unavailable this week will then be added when the preparations for Euro 2016 begin in earnest on Monday with a further week based in Coverciano and including a friendly against Scotland to be played in Malta on May 29.

Conte will make reduce his squad further following that game before a further friendly will be played against Finland in Verona on June 6. His squad will then have one day with their families before flying to their base for Euro 2016 in Montpellier from Milan on June 8.

Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti (Lazio), Antonio Mirante (Bologna), Marco Sportiello (Atalanta)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Sassuolo), Davide Astori (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Armando Izzo (Genoa), Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham), Lorenzo Tonelli (Empoli)

Midfielders: Marco Benassi (Torino), Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Danilo Cataldi (Lazio), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Lorenzo De Silvestri (Sampdoria), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna), Jorginho (Napoli), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Roberto Soriano (Sampdoria), Davide Zappacosta (Torino)

Forwards: Fabio Borini (Sunderland), Eder (Inter), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa), Graziano Pellè (Southampton)

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