Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi has been left out of Italy's 23-man World Cup squad, even though he managed to recover from a serious knee injury. Rossi, aged 27, played 71 minutes in Saturday's 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland, but his performance was rather mediocre. Antonio Cassano did make the World Cup squad after scoring 12 goals for Parma this season, while AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli was also selected by head coach Cesare Prandelli.
AC Milan midfielder Riccardo Montolivo is also out of the squad after breaking his left leg against the Republic of Ireland. Prandelli eliminated from his provisional squad the likes of striker Mattia Destro, Brazil-born midfielder Romulo plus defenders Manuel Pasqual and Christian Maggio. Centre-back Andrea Ranocchia will travel to Brazil as a possible replacement for Andrea Barzagli, who has been struggling with injury throughout the season.
Giuseppe Rossi scored 14 goals in 17 Serie A matches before injuring his right knee in January. The injury kept him out of contention for four months but he made a comeback at the end of the season. Torino striker Ciro Immobile makes the squad after scoring 22 Serie A goals this season. The 2006 World Champions will start their campaign against England on 12 June before facing Costa Rica and Uruguay in Group D.
Italy are 13/8 at Bet365 to win Group D.
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