Antonio Conte has left striker Mario Balotelli out of his first squad since replacing Cesare Prandelli as Italy coach.

Conte, who won three league titles with Juventus, was appointed Azzurri mentor last month after Prandelli resigned immediately after the loss to Uruguay which saw the national team eliminated from the World Cup.

Conte will prepare the team for his first games in charge as the Italians meet the Netherlands in a friendly next Thursday before they begin their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with Norway five days later.

The biggest surprise in Conte’s selection is the absence of Balotelli. However, that could be explained by the new Liverpool striker’s suspension from the Norway tie.

Regulars Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio are all in the team, while Ciro Immobile, Simone Zaza and Sebastian Giovinco are also included.

The majority of the group reported to the Coverciano training camp last night.

Paris Saint-Germain players Salvatore Sirigu and Marco Verratti will arrive this morning, while Mattia Destro has been given until tomorrow because of personal reasons.

Italy will also play Croatia, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Malta in their Euro 2016 qualifying group.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Daniele Padelli (Torino), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain).

Defenders: Davide Astori (Roma), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Gabriel Paletta (Parma), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter).

Midfielders: Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Mattia De Sciglio (Milan), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Andrea Poli (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain).

Attackers: Mattia Destro (Roma), Stephan El Shaarawy (Milan), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dortmund), Pablo Osvaldo (Inter), Simone Zaza (Sassuolo).

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