Italy hoping to end World Cup pain

Italy are hoping to end a 12-year absence from the World Cup as one of the planet's most important footballing nations heads to the qualifying play-offs in the midst of another identity crisis. Northern Ireland come to Bergamo for what promises to be a tense semi-final on Thursday as Italy desperately try to not miss a third consecutive World Cup. Gennaro Gattuso led Italy to second in qualifying Group I and has obtained some stability for the Azzurri following the sacking of the volatile Luciano Spalletti. But two heavy defeats dished out by group winners Norway were a stark reminder of how far the national team has fallen since last winning the World Cup 20 years ago -- with Gattuso in midfield. Since then Italy haven't played a knockout match in a World Cup finals, dumped out in the group stage as defending champions in 2010 and four years later, before failing to even reach the last two editions in Russia and Qatar. Both of those qualification failures came via the play-offs and were deeply traumatic events to a footballing hotbed which has lost its self-esteem while rival nations like France and Spain have flourished. The poor performance of Italy's clubs in this season's Champions League has only exacerbated a feeling of being left behind, to the point that missing this year's finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico would be seen almost as a death knell. "I really hope with all my heart that we can reach this goal, this group of players deserves it," Gattuso told reporters on Monday. "We can't stress the lads, they're well aware of what the stakes are. There will obviously be a bit of tension but we have to make sure we trasmit positivity."   Pressure and injuries Gattuso has to deal not just with the pressure of the occasion but also a clutch of injuries which threaten to leave him without several important players for what he hopes will be two matches. One of Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina await Italy in the final should they get past Northern Ireland as expected. Probably the key doubt is surrounding Sandro Tonali, who suffered a groin injury in Newcastle United's Champions League exit at Barcelona last week. Gattuso said on Monday that he hoped to have Tonali, an all-action midfielder, available for training in the lead-up to Thursday's match but the 25-year-old is by no means guaranteed to start. Federico Chiesa, who hasn't featured for Italy since their dismal European Championship title defence in 2024, was dropped from the squad on Monday when Italy's medical staff ruled him unfit to play after he was originally selected in Gattuso's 28-man squad. "I had to make a decision. He didn't feel up for it, so he decided to return home, and I had to accept it," said Gattuso, who picked Bologna's Nicolo Cambiaghi to replace Chiesa. "I didn't push. When someone wants to return home, it's right to let him do so." Meanwhile Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca and central defenders Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini are all trying to recover in time from injuries, with Gattuso also saying that Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori was feeling "discomfort" on his arrival at the Coverciano training centre. That leaves Gattuso hoping for a drama-free night on Thursday and his players all being ready for a date with destiny in the final.