It appears Italy Coach Marcello Lippi has set his mind on at least 16 of the players he will be taking with him to South Africa. According to la Gazzetta dello Sport Lippi will pick another 6 to 7 names to join his guaranteed list which will form the basis of the Azzurri’s World Cup campaign.

The three goalkeepers have already been set as Gianluigi Buffon, Morgan De Sanctis and Federico Marchetti. Juventus custodian Buffon will be the certain number one barring any injury with Marchetti, who played three times for the Azzurri, being the second choice.

As for the defenders, Lippi will pick four from Juve starting with Giorgio Chiellini and then Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso and Nicola Legrottaglie. The Bianconeri defenders have struggled with their club and failed to impress with the exception of Chiellini who has been solid. Still, even Chiellini has made the odd mistake during recent weeks as most of the pressure has been on him and Buffon considering the poor form of the other defenders. Lippi will also pick Gianluca Zambrotta of Milan and Genoa’s Domenico Criscito leaving a couple of spots for other defenders to fight for. If fit and willing to return to the Azzurri, Alessandro Nesta seems to be a likely choice given his solid performances for the Rossoneri.

In midfield, Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Mauro Camoranesi and Claudio Marchisio will all be selected unless injured. Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso will be chosen if he can remain fit and play on a regular basis. There will be other midfielders who will come under consideration such as Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo and Sampdoria’s Angelo Palombo as well as Simone Perrotta from Roma. All three will likely be fighting for one or two spots. Juventus loan signing Antonio Candreva might play his way into the squad if he remains a starter and performs decently for the Old Lady in Serie A.

Finally, upfront there is a lot of room for changes beyond the two certainties Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta. Gilardino saved the Azzurri against both Ireland and Cyprus scoring once against the Irish and registering a famous hat-trick in the final 13 minutes again Cyprus to mark the Azzurri’s comeback after falling 2-0 down. As for Juve striker Iaquinta, he remains one of Lippi’s preferred choices due to his hard work, willingness to run and physical presence. In 2009 there were intense rumours regarding Brazilian attacker Amauri and his potential inclusion in Italy’s squad but now it seems quite unlikely given his poor form and the resurgence of Milan’s Marco Borriello and the rise of Giampaolo Pazzini.

Amauri will not be headed to South Africa but one or both of the latter two strikers will be included. Another option  for the attack includes Giuseppe Rossi who will be the only player not in Serie A if he gets chosen. Rossi has impressed in some of the games yet he has failed to nail down a starring role with la Nazionale. Udinese pair Antonio Di Natale and Simone Pepe could both be included as well with Di Natale on top of the scoring charts in Serie A (alongside Inter’s Argentine striker Diego Milito).

Two players who are unlikely to be considered are Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli as their attitude on and off the pitch seems to contradict with Lippi’s guidelines. One player who could be making his way back to the Azzurri is Roma star Francesco Totti who has indicated his desire to return if fit and healthy.