Italy coach Roberto Donadoni is set to field a largely experimental team in Wednesday's friendly against World Cup hosts South Africa in Siena - a key warm-up for their Euro 2008 qualification showdown with Scotland next month.
But as well as nine newcomers compared to the team that secured a 2-0 win in Georgia Sunday, a familiar face will be bidding to make his international comeback after recently ending a goal drought that stretched back to April.
AC Milan centre-forward Alberto Gilardino scored twice in the recent 1-5 thrashing of Lazio and said he was on the way back from "purgatory".
Gilardino was left out of the squad to play Georgia, although some observers thought he might have made it if the team sheet had been announced after the Lazio match.
Italy is second in Group B, a point behind surprise leaders Scotland and one ahead of France.
All three won on Saturday - the Scots most impressively, 3-0 at home to Ukraine, while the French dispatched the Faroe Islands 0-6.
For the South Africa game in Siena, Donadoni gave his first call-up to Napoli defender Paolo Cannavaro - younger brother of World Cup-winning icon Fabio Cannavaro - along with Udinese defender Andrea Dossena and midfielders Alessandro Rosina of Torino and Antonio Nocerino of Juventus.
Young but seasoned Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, a World Cup winner along with Gilardino, will be Italy's captain for the night.
Amid much talk of the need for new players and the patchy form of oldsters like Juve's Alessandro Del Piero and Milan's Champions League winner Filippo Inzaghi, De Rossi said "our Under-21 team is full of talent".
"They can't all come at once but with time there'll be a generational change," said the 24-year-old, who already has 29 caps.
South Africa's team revolves around three Premier League veterans - Steven Pienaar of Everton and the Blackburn Rovers pair Aaron Mokoena and Benni McCarthy, scorer of 18 goals last season.
The South Africans are coached by Italy's 1994 World Cup Final nemesis, ex-Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.
Donadoni, who played in that match, was also coached by Parreira in a short stint at the New York Metrostars in the late 1990s.
In its last three games South Africa has lost to Zambia 3-1, drawn 0-0 with Uruguay and lost 1-0 to Scotland.
Scotland's shock win in Paris last month was the worst possible outcome for the Azzurri mathematically, virtually forcing them to win their last three games.
Goals from Milan's Andrea Pirlo and Fabio Grosso did the business in a sometimes nervous display.
After the Scotland match on November 17, Italy's last match is a November 21 home game against the Faroe Islands.
It is viewed as a formality despite Italy's nervous 2-1 win there in June - when Inzaghi spared Italy's blushes by scoring both goals.
On Wednesday Scotland travel to Georgia seeking at least a point while France hosts Lithuania.
If the Scots secure their fifth straight win and Lithuania upset France, they could join Germany as mathematically through to the finals in Switzerland and Austria - making Italy's Glasgow trip much easier.
