Mancini leaves ten players out of Italy squad for Turkey Nations League clash

Roberto Mancini is shaking things up after the opening setback. The 0-2 defeat against Belgium in Rome has accelerated the head coach's plans, and he is preparing a revamped lineup for Monday's visit to Turkey in the second round of the Nations League. Ten players will not travel to Bursa and will keep working at Coverciano, while Alessandro Bastoni returns to the starting eleven after serving his suspension.

• Ten players stay in Italy: Barella, Gianluca Mancini, Coppola, Maldini, Ahanor, Inacio, Kouadio, Pessina, Ricci and Zoma will not travel to Turkey.
• Nicolò Zaniolo is also unavailable and will return home due to physical problems.
• Bastoni returns to central defence after suspension and Michael Kayode is in line to start at right-back.
• Davide Frattesi and Rolando Mandragora could come into midfield, while Sandro Tonali may be rested.

Belgium defeat forces Mancini to reshuffle the lineup

Italy began their Nations League campaign with a clear defeat at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The 0-2 loss to Belgium left a bad impression and opened the debate about the starting eleven. Mancini, back on the Azzurri bench to lead this new cycle, does not want to repeat the same mistakes and is preparing a major shake-up for the game against Turkey.

The ten players left out of the trip to Bursa

The list of players who will not board the plane to Turkey is long. Nicolò Barella, Gianluca Mancini, Diego Coppola, Daniel Maldini, Honest Ahanor, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alí Zoma will remain at the Coverciano technical centre in Florence to prepare for the next international fixtures: France on 2 October and Turkey again on 5 October.

Nicolò Zaniolo is another name ruled out for Monday's match. The forward will return home due to physical problems and will not be available for the coaching staff.

How Italy's defence could line up against Turkey

The back line is one of the areas with the most changes. Michael Kayode could take the right-back spot from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who would step aside after the opening match against Belgium. In the middle of the defence, Alessandro Bastoni returns after his ban and would partner Giorgio Scalvini.

At left-back there is an open battle between Riccardo Calafiori and Matteo Ruggeri. Both players are competing for a place in the starting eleven, and the decision could go down to the final hours before the match in Bursa.

Frattesi and Mandragora pushing for midfield spots

Mancini is also considering rotations in midfield. Davide Frattesi, who played the second half against Belgium, has a real chance of starting. Rolando Mandragora is another option gaining ground to come into the eleven.

Sandro Tonali, who played the full 90 minutes in the opener, could drop to the bench as part of workload management in a demanding international schedule. The head coach has several combinations in mind to bring fresh legs into the side.

Raspadori emerges as an attacking option alongside Kean

Up front, Giacomo Raspadori is one of the main options to join Moise Kean and Francesco Pio Esposito in the attacking department. The Azzurri need to improve their goal output after drawing a blank against Belgium.

What Italy and Turkey are playing for in the Nations League

Monday's match pits two national teams against each other that have yet to pick up a point in the competition. Both sides are looking for their first win in a Nations League format that leaves little room for slip-ups. For Italy, victory in Bursa would erase the doubts from the opener in one go and bring more calm ahead of the third-round clash with France.

Turkey, for their part, will try to make home advantage count and get points on the board before the return meeting with Italy later in the group stage. Bursa is expected to host an intense game between two teams with urgent needs.