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Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso has urged his players to show “maximum commitment” as their hopes of securing automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup are no longer entirely within their control.
Italy will travel to Moldova on Thursday before hosting Norway in Milan on Sunday, sitting three points behind the Group I leaders.
Speaking at a press conference, Gattuso warned that the upcoming fixtures will be far from straightforward.
He said he expects his squad to put in a full effort to carry forward the progress made since he took over in September.
The coach confirmed that players with limited recent involvement will be given opportunities against Moldova but stressed that Italy must remain focused on their performance rather than Norway’s.
Gattuso pointed out that the meeting with Moldova is crucial while acknowledging that Norway’s pace, physical strength and style of play could pose a serious challenge when they arrive in Milan.
Having missed the last two World Cups, Italy are guaranteed a play-off place as group runners-up.
They can still finish top and qualify directly by beating both Moldova and Norway, though they would need to secure high-scoring victories to overturn Norway’s superior goal difference.
Gattuso will be missing in-form Fiorentina forward Moise Kean, who has found the net six times in his past four appearances for the national side but was injured at the club level.
Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has also opted out of international duty this month, and he has not featured for Italy since Euro 2024.
Since replacing Luciano Spalletti, who was dismissed after a 3-0 loss in Oslo in early June, Gattuso has overseen a marked improvement.
Italy have won four successive matches, scoring 16 goals in the process.
He also confirmed that a planned training camp ahead of the play-offs at the end of March will not go ahead due to scheduling issues.
Gattuso stressed that careful scouting both domestically and abroad will be key to ensuring the squad’s strength moving forward.
