Headline: Italy’s Mancini Excludes Six Players Ahead of Match Against France
Italy coach Roberto Mancini has made the decision to drop six players from his matchday squad for tonight’s game against France, including Alphadjo Cisse and Mattia Liberali.
For the highly-anticipated clash at San Siro, Mancini announced a 23-man squad. With 29 players traveling to Milan, it became necessary to omit six individuals from the lineup.
The six Italy players omitted by Mancini for Italy vs. France
BOLOGNA – OCTOBER 05: Roberto Mancini, Manager of Italy, reacts during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Italy and Türkiye at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on October 05, 2026, in Bologna. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Reports from Italian sources, including TMW, reveal that the six players who will not participate in tonight’s match are Honest Ahanor, Matteo Palma, Federico Gatti, Nicolò Pisilli, Alphadjo Cisse, and Mattia Liberali.
Notably, Cisse, Liberali, and Palma were the only players called up by Mancini who had not yet made their international debuts. Therefore, all other players in the squad have at least one appearance for the national team.
Multiple sources suggest that Francesco Pio Esposito, along with his brother Sebastiano and Nicolò Cambiaghi, will form the starting lineup for Italy’s attack.
Mattia Liberali and Alphadjo Cisse participated in a press conference at Coverciano on November 10, 2026 (Football Italia).
Moreover, Palma and Gatti were not part of the original 31-man squad; Palma replaced the injured Gianluca Mancini from Roma, while Gatti was added to the selection last Sunday. Earlier, Udinese attacker Nicolò Zaniolo had withdrawn from the squad for personal reasons on Tuesday.
