Injured Sandro Tonali has reported for international duty ahead of a World Cup play-off
Sandro Tonali
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Sandro Tonali's absence from the Newcastle United team on Sunday was a huge blow and a contributing factor to their derby defeat at the hands of Sunderland.
The Italian midfielder missed out on a place in the starting XI after coming off injured with a hip problem against Barcelona in midweek at the Camp Nou.
Eddie Howe revealed in his pre-match Press conference that Tonali's injury wasn't as bad as first feared, and that he would be touch and go for the clash. However, despite arriving at St James' Park pre-match, the 25-year-old was not in the matchday squad.
However, the injury hasn't stopped him from travelling to Italy on international duty. Tonali linked up with his teammates for their World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland and in a surprise development, is expected to train today.
Italy have a number of doubts ahead of the game. Gianluca Scamacca, Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini are injured, while Tonali and Arsenal defender Ricardo Calafiori are not fully fit.
Coach Gennaro Gattuso held a press conference on Monday, before Italy’s first training session and revealed Tonali would train, albeit with a reduced workload.
“Scamacca has an adductor problem; we evaluate him day by day, same as Bastoni,” Gattuso said. “Tonali will train with a low workload today.
"Mancini has fatigue; no issues were seen from exams. Calafiori felt a little discomfort yesterday, but we hope he’ll be there."
Tonali's absence on Sunday, along with that of Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley, meant Newcastle had to put out a weakened midfield against Sunderland, including striker Nick Woltemade. Sunderland - directed by Granit Xhaka - proved too strong in the centre of the park for the home side.
Boss Eddie Howe will be hoping Tonali comes through international duty unscathed, with the Magpies manager desperate to have the Italian and captain Guimaraes reunited in midfield.
Should Italy beat Northern Ireland in Bergamo on Thursday, they’ll visit Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina next week in the final.
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