Double boon for Balotelli as City striker named Italy's provisional squad for Euro 2012

Manchester City's Mario Balotelli is the only Premier League representative in Cesare Prandelli's provisional Italy squad for Euro 2012.

The controversial striker is part of a list of 32 names which will be cut to 23 on May 29, less than a fortnight before the tournament in Poland and Ukraine kicks off.

Prandelli has also included five uncapped players - Mattia Destro, Emanuele Giaccherini, Ezequiel Schelotto, Marco Verratti and Angelo Ogbonna - the latter two of whom ply their trade in the second division.

Balotelli is joined up front by Antonio Cassano, another who attracts as many frontpage headlines as he does backpage.

Prandelli, who introduced a code of ethics when he became coach after the 2010 World Cup, left Balotelli out of the squad for a friendly against the United States in February after he received a four-match suspension for his stamp on Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker.

Cassano, meanwhile, fell ill with stroke-like symptoms on AC Milan's team plane while returning from a match at Roma in October and then required minor heart surgery that kept him out for five months.

Previous coach Marcello Lippi left Cassano out of his squad at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, but he was a fixture in attack in Euro 2012 qualifying under the current boss.

There are also first call-ups under Prandelli for Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale and Rubin Kazan midfielder Salvatore Bocchetti.

The squad - apart from Juventus and Napoli players, who face each other in the Italian Cup final next weekend - will meet up on Monday at a training base in Coverciano on the outskirts of Florence for two days of fitness tests.

Italy are in a group with Spain, Republic of Ireland and Croatia.

ITALY'S PROVISIONAL SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Emiliano Viviano (Palermo).

Defenders: Cristian Maggio (Napoli), Domenico Criscito (Zenit St. Petersburg), Ignazio Abate (Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Davide Astori (Cagliari), Salvatore Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino).

Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint Germain), Antonio Nocerino (Milan), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Ezequiel Schelotto (Atalanta) Luca Cigarini (Atalanta), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Marco Verratti (Pescara).

Strikers: Antonio Cassano (Milan), Mario Balotelli (Manchester City), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Mattia Destro (Siena), Fabio Borini (Roma).

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