Cassano, Rossi called up for Italy fitness tests

P(ANSA) – Rome, April 11 – Italy coach Cesare Prandelli named Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano among a group of 42 players he is calling up for pre-World Cup fitness tests on Monday and Tuesday.BRRossi has been called up even though he has not yet returned to action for Fiorentina after a knee injury.BRPrandelli said he would wait as long as possible for the forward to regain fitness when he suffered the injury in January.BRThe 27-year-old was Serie A’s top scorer at the time with 14 goals and remains in joint-fourth place in this season’s striker standings even though he has been sidelined for three months.BRParma’s Cassano will return to an Azzurri camp for the first time since the 31-year-old helped Italy come second at Euro 2012.BRPrandelli said he wanted to focus on younger players after the tournament, but Cassano’s form of late has been too good to ignore and he is the running for a place in the squad at this summer’s tournament in Brazil.BRAs expected Prandelli did not call up 37-year-old AS Roma captain Francesco Totti or his club mate Mattia Destro.BRHowever, this does not mean the duo have no chance of making the final squad, especially in Destro’s case.BRThe in-form 23-year-old has been excluded in accordance with Prandelli’s code of conduct for the national time after being given a four-match ban by Serie A’s sporting judge. Destro was banned for three matches for hitting an opponent during Roma’s 3-1 win at Cagliari on Sunday, when he scored all of his team’s goals.BRThe other match is an automatic ban incurred from a yellow card he picked up in the game.BRPrandelli does not call up players who are serving suspensions, but the code of conduct only applies for the duration of the ban.BR/P
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