THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILAN, Italy — Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has included five uncapped players in his provisional 32-man squad for the European Championship.
Mattia Destro, Emanuele Giaccherini, Ezequiel Schelotto and Marco Verratti have never played for the Azzurri before. Pescara midfielder Verratti was one of two second-division players included on Sunday, the other being Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna.
Controversial strikers Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano have been included in the squad, which will be cut to 23 players by May 29.
Prandelli, who introduced a code of ethics when he became coach after the 2010 World Cup, left Balotelli off the squad for a friendly against the United States in February after he received a four-match suspension in January for his stamp on Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker.
Cassano fell ill with stroke-like symptoms on AC Milan’s team plane while returning from a match at Roma in October and then required minor heart surgery that kept him out for five months.
Previous coach Marcello Lippi left Cassano off his squad at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, but he was a fixture in attack in Euro 2012 qualifying under Cesare Prandelli.
It is the first call-ups under Prandelli for Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale and Rubin Kazan midfielder Salvatore Bocchetti.
The squad — apart from Juventus and Napoli players, who face each other in the Italian Cup final next weekend — will meet up on Monday at its training base in Coverciano on the outskirts of Florence for two days of fitness tests.
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Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Emiliano Viviano (Palermo).
Defenders: Cristian Maggio (Napoli), Domenico Criscito (Zenit St. Petersburg), Ignazio Abate (Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Davide Astori (Cagliari), Salvatore Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino).
Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint Germain), Antonio Nocerino (Milan), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Ezequiel Schelotto (Atalanta) Luca Cigarini (Atalanta), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Marco Verratti (Pescara).
Strikers: Antonio Cassano (Milan), Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Mattia Destro (Siena), Fabio Borini (Roma).