Italy: Jorginho in, Insigne out?

By Football Italia staff

Sky Sport Italia report Italy will face Sweden with a 3-5-2 formation, starting Jorginho and Manolo Gabbiadini, but not Lorenzo Insigne.

They lost the first leg 1-0 in Solna and their 2018 World Cup destiny is decided in Milan on Monday at 19.45 GMT.

Marco Verratti is suspended, so it was rumoured there would be a tactical switch to the habitual 4-2-4 formation or a 3-4-3 novelty.

It was widely suggested that Insigne was guaranteed a spot in the starting XI after the public outcry over Giampiero Ventura’s decision to drop him in the first leg.

However, the latest whispers from the training ground point to Insigne on the bench yet again, but his Napoli teammate Jorginho should receive his first competitive Italy cap.

He’d be joined by versatile Roma man Alessandro Florenzi, as Daniele De Rossi is not fully fit after the first leg.

The biggest surprise of all would be Southampton benchwarmer Gabbiadini as the partner to Ciro Immobile in attack, preferred to both Eder and Andrea Belotti.

Leonardo Bonucci is able to play with a protective mask after Ola Toivonen fractured his nose during the first game.

Probable Italy line-up: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Candreva, Florenzi, Jorginho, Parolo, Darmian; Immobile, Gabbiadini

Image via @azzurri

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