Mancini reveals the expected lineup for Italy against Belgium in the European Nations League

The features of the starting lineup that Roberto Mancini will adopt in Italy's first match in the European Nations League against Belgium are clear, as Francesco Pio Esposito, Nicolo Zaniolo and Daniel Maldini are expected to lead the attack.

The match will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Friday at 19:45 UK time (20:45 Central European Summer Time).

The group also includes France and Turkey, who will face each other in the other match scheduled for the same day.

Mancini intends to adopt a 4/3/3 plan, but he faces options imposed on him, given the absence of Federico Demarco, Brian Cristante and Marco Balestra due to injury, in addition to the suspension of Alessandro Bastoni.

Inter striker Pio Esposito is still the most prominent candidate, compared to Moise Kean, to lead the attacking line, but there are many options available to complete the attacking trio.

According to the Corriere dello Sport newspaper, Zaniolo, on the right side, and Maldini, on the left side, appear to be the most likely options, instead of Nicolo Cambiaghi and Giacomo Raspadori.

This is a big step for Zaniolo, who has completely missed call-ups to the national team for the past two years.

It seems that the midfield has been decided, as Alessandro Romano will participate in his first match with the Italian national team instead of Samuele Ricci, surrounded by two of the old guard, Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali.

Riccardo Calafiore can finally follow his approach with Arsenal by playing in the left defender position instead of central defence, while ensuring the participation of Gianluca Mancini as well.

The only remaining doubts are the comparison between Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Michael Kayode to occupy the right defender position, as the veteran Napoli player is considered the most likely candidate. As for the defensive depth, it will depend largely on Giorgio Scalvini’s physical readiness.

If the Atalanta defender is not ready, Diego Coppola may replace him.

Austrian David Alaba underwent a medical examination in the Italian capital, Rome, and will travel north to sign a new contract with Udinese as a free transfer.

The former Real Madrid defender has remained without a club since his departure from the Spanish team on June 30.

His name has been linked to a move to the Italian League during the past months, in addition to the German club Union Berlin, the Mexican Club America, the American Inter Miami, and the Qatari club Al-Sadd, but Alaba, 34 years old, made a surprising move by joining Udinese.

The Austrian international arrived in Rome on Wednesday morning and underwent a medical examination at the Villa Stuart Clinic, the most famous sports medical center in Italy, where several clubs conduct medical examinations for their players there before signing.

According to several reports, including Sky Sports, no problems were detected, so Alaba was given the green light to travel north to Udine to sign the contract.

It is expected that the agreement with the defender will be short-term, as he spent most of his career between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, and won four European Champions League titles, 10 German League titles, two Spanish League titles, three European Super Cup titles, and the same in the Club World Cup.