Soccer:Cesare Prandelli has named an initial squad of 32 for the European Championships that includes seven of the stars that earned Juventus their first Serie A title in nearly a decade and got through the league season unbeaten for only the third time in its history.
Big names like Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo are all included along with rising young stars like striker Mattia Destro of Siena, Pescara’s Marco Verratti and Angelo Ogbonna of Torino.
Up front, veteran Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale, ignored by the manager for most of the last two years, makes the cut along with Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano but fellow strikers Giampaolo Pazzini, Pablo Osvaldo and Alessandro Matri all now look set to miss out having been omitted.
ITALIAN SQUAD – GOALKEEPERS:Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St Germain), Emiliano Viviano (Palermo).
DEFENDERS:Ignazio Abate (Milan), Danilo Astori (Cagliari), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Salvatore Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Zenit St Petersburg), Cristian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter).
MIDFIELDERS:Luca Cigarini (Atalanta), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St Germain), Antonio Nocerino (Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Ezequiel Schelotto (Atalanta), Marco Verratti (Pescara).
FORWARDS: Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Fabio Borini (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Mattia Destro (Siena), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma).
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