Nicolò Cambiaghi Leaves the Italian National Team’s Training Camp: What Happened on the Eve of the Belgium-Italy Match

More trouble for the Italian national team on the eve of their match against Belgium, a decisive game for qualifying for the Nations League quarterfinals. Nicolò Cambiaghi, one of the standout players in the 3-1 victory over France at San Siro, has in fact left the team’s training camp: The Bologna forward has not recovered from the ankle injury he sustained on Thursday, and Roberto Mancini will not have him available for the Belgium-Italy match, scheduled for Sunday, November 15, in Brussels.

The medical staff assessed the player’s condition on Saturday, but the ankle injury did not heal in time. For this reason, Cambiaghi was cleared to leave the training camp and return to Bologna, sitting out the final match of the Nations League group stage. This is a significant loss for Mancini, given the role the 25-year-old played in the victory over Les Bleus. Cambiaghi was, in fact, one of the standout performers in Milan, contributing to the Azzurri’s comeback after Olise’s early goal.

Cambiaghi’s absence comes on top of that of Davide Frattesi, who was also forced to leave training camp due to a muscle strain. Mancini will therefore have to revise his plans for Brussels, trying to compensate for the absence of two players who made their mark against France.

As for the rest of the squad, the national team trained this morning at the “Angelo Moratti” Sports Center in Appiano Gentile before departing for Brussels this afternoon. Tomorrow evening at 8:45 p.m., Italy will face Belgium at King Baudouin Stadium, with Norwegian referee Eskas assigned to officiate the match.

Following the 3-1 victory over France, Italy has climbed to 10 points, tying with the French and temporarily taking first place in Group 1 thanks to head-to-head results. Against Belgium, therefore, the Azzurri will need at least a draw to secure qualification for the quarterfinals of the continental competition.