Sebastian Giovinco is back in the Italy squad after an absence of nearly three years, but Mario Balotelli has been left out.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini included the 31-year-old Toronto FC forward in the 28-man squad he named Friday for upcoming matches against Ukraine and Poland.
Giovinco, who has scored one goal in 23 appearances for Italy, last played for his country on Oct. 15, 2015.
There was also a recall for Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi, who made the last of his two appearances for Italy in March 2016, while Sampdoria forward Gianluca Caprari was given a first call up to the national team.
Balotelli was called up by Mancini for his past two squads and played his first matches for Italy since the 2014 World Cup. However, the 28-year-old Balotelli has been out of form and was dropped by Nice coach Patrick Vieira for Friday’s match at Toulouse.
Italy plays Ukraine in a friendly on Oct. 10 in Genoa before travelling to Chorzow to play Poland in the UEFA Nations League four days later.
The Azzurri drew with Poland and lost to Portugal in their opening Nations League matches last month.
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Source: The Associated Press
