MILAN (AP) — Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui will miss both of Italy’s upcoming Nations League quarterfinal matches against Germany due to a right thigh injury, the Italian soccer federation announced Wednesday.
Retegui exited in the second half of Atalanta's 2-0 loss to Inter Milan on Sunday.
The Argentine-born Retegui has scored 22 goals for Atalanta this season and has six goals in 18 appearances for the national team.
Italy hosts Germany at the San Siro in Milan on Thursday and then visits Germany on Sunday in Dortmund.
Without Retegui, Italy coach Luciano Spalletti will likely turn to Moise Kean at center forward. Kean is having a career-best season at Fiorentina and is second on the Serie A scoring chart with 15 goals.
With two other forwards not fully fit — Andrea Cambiaso and Mattia Zaccagni — Spalletti said he will wait to see how Thursday's match goes and how the players recover before deciding whether to call up any replacements.
Spalletti said on Wednesday that he could call up either Roma youngster Tommaso Baldanzi or Cagliari's Roberto Piccoli for the second leg, depending on whether he needs a center forward or a support striker.
Neither has ever previously been involved with the senior national team.
There was good news for Atalanta, however, as Spalletti said Retegui could recover in time for the Serie A team's next match at Fiorentina on March 30.
Atalanta is third in Serie A, six points below league leader Inter Milan.
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The Associated Press
