In-form Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi has been recalled to the Italy squad after a two-year absence ahead of their World Cup Group B qualifying games against Denmark and Armenia.

The double-header holds no meaning for Cesare Prandelli’s men, who booked their place at the Brazil finals with two games to spare, but the games offer Rossi a first appearance in Azzurro colours since October 2011.

The 26-year-old has marked his return from a lengthy lay-off with cruciate ligament damage by firing six goals in seven games for Fiorentina this season and the former Italy captain could add to his six-goal haul for his country over the international break.

Roma full-back Federico Balzaretti returns to the squad – which meets Denmark in Copenhagen on October 11 before hosting Armenia in Palermo four days later – for the first time since November 2012. The 31-year-old has played a key role in Roma’s unexpected seven-game winning run.

The squad

Goalkeepers: G. Buffon (Juventus), F. Marchetti (Lazio), S. Sirigu (PSG).

Defenders: I. Abate (Milan), D. Astori (Cagliari), F. Balzaretti (Roma), L. Bonucci (Juventus), G. Chiellini (Juventus), L. De Silvestri (Sampdoria), M. Pasqual (Fiorentina), A. Ranocchia (Inter).

Midfielders: A. Aquilani (Fiorentina), A. Candreva (Lazio), D. De Rossi (Roma), A. Diamanti (Bologna), A. Florenzi (Roma), E. Giaccherini (Sunderland), C. Marchisio (Juventus), R. Montolivo (Milan), A. Pirlo (Juventus), A. Poli (Milan), T. Motta (PSG), M. Verratti (PSG).

Strikers: M. Balotelli (Milan), A. Cerci (Torino), A. Gilardino (Genoa), L. Insigne (Napoli), P. Osvaldo (Southampton), G. Rossi (Fiorentina).

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.