Italy coach Marcello Lippi named three debutants in his squad today to face Montenegro and Ireland in World Cup qualifiers, with the inclusion of Genoa defender Salvatore Bocchetti the biggest surprise.

The 22-year-old former under-21 international, barely a regular for the Serie A high-fliers, has been called up for the first time along with Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini and Roma right back Marco Motta.

The Group Eight leaders have been deprived of a host of injured players for the trip to Podgorica next Saturday and the game with former Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland in Bari on April 1.

World Cup winners Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi and Simone Perrotta are all out along with defenders Daniele Bonera and Nicola Legrottaglie and Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani.

Matteo Brighi, who has taken his chance in the Roma midfield this season following a string of injuries to team mates, is included having picked up his only previous cap under Trapattoni in a friendly against Slovenia in 2002.

Lazio playmaker Pasquale Foggia was also named having managed two previous appearances but there was again no place for 34-year-old Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, in-form 35-year-old Milan forward Filippo Inzaghi or Sampdoria's outspoken talisman Antonio Cassano.

His Samp strike partner Pazzini has been rewarded, however, for eight goals in eight league games since his January move from Fiorentina while Motta, on loan at Roma from Udinese, has produced some commanding displays of late.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Palermo), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray)

Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Marco Motta (AS Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Matteo Brighi (Roma), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Pasquale Foggia (Lazio), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (Milan)

Forwards: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).

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