(Time for Scotland!)

While it’s true that there are Serie A matches to be played before November 17th, the biggest news over the coming week will likely pertain to the Scotland – Italy Euro 2008 Qualifier. That said, until this critical match is behind us, I plan on rounding up related news and posting it here on serieAmerica. To that end, here are two noteworthy pieces to get us started:

Scotland Announces its Squad

While The Don hasn’t announced Italy’s squad yet, Alex McLeish, Scotland’s manager, has named the 25 gents that will welcome the Azzurri next Saturday. Of the lot, only four are aged 30 or older, and all play for UK-based teams. Here they are, along with their respective clubs:

Goalkeepers
Craig Gordon (Sunderland)
David Marshall (Norwich City)
Allan McGregor (Rangers)

Defenders
Graham Alexander (Burnley)
Gary Caldwell (Celtic)
Christian Dailly (West Ham United)
Alan Hutton (Rangers)
Jay McEveley (Derby County)
Stephen McManus (Celtic)
Gary Naysmith (Sheffield United)
David Weir (Rangers)

Midfielders
Scott Brown (Celtic)
Barry Ferguson (Rangers)
Darren Fletcher (Manchester United)
Paul Hartley (Celtic)
Lee McCulloch (Rangers)
Stephen Pearson (Derby County)
Barry Robson (Dundee United)
Gary Teale (Derby County)

Forwards
Craig Beattie (West Bromwich Albion)
Kris Boyd (Rangers)
James McFadden (Everton)
Shaun Maloney (Aston Villa)
Kenny Miller (Derby County)
Garry O’Connor (Birmingham City)

Source: Scottish Football Association

Camo Hurt… Again

You read that correctly. Having just returned from a long stint on the bench due to a thigh injury, Mauro Camoranesi – who has been rather solid for the Azzurri in the midfield, has taken a knock in practice. Specifically, Channel 4 is reporting that he has sustained a bruised calf which sounds as though it will surely keep him home.

Can Italy survive without Camoranesi? Simply put: Yes. If Juventus (Camo’s club team) can survive… and even flourish without him, our Azzurri can too. However, while this is not a fatal blow, it’s not good news for anyone but the Scotts. Hopefully, everyone else will stay healthy.

Categories: Azzurri, Euro 2008
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