Italy coach Roberto Mancini on Friday called Torino midfielder Tommaso Pobega into his squad for the first time as the European champions put their World Cup fate on the line.

Mancini named 28 players for the final two qualifiers against Group C rivals Switzerland on November 12 in Rome and Northern Ireland three days later in Belfast.

Pobega, 22, currently on loan at Torino from AC Milan, is the only new name in a squad missing the injured Marco Verratti (Paris SG), Matteo Pessina (Atalanta), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta) and Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma).

Italy and Switzerland top the group with 14 points but the Azzurri have a slightly better goal difference.

The group winners qualify for the 2022 finals in Qatar while the runners-up face a play-off.

Italy missed the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, their first absence from the global showpiece in 60 years.

Italy squad:

Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris SG/FRA), Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan), Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Davide Calabria (AC Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Lyon/FRA), Gianluca Mancini (Roma)

Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Jorginho (Chelsea/ENG), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Tommaso Pobega (Torino), Sandro Tonali (AC Milan), Nicolo Zaniolo (Roma)

Attackers: Andrea Belotti (Torino), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo)