MILAN • Lorenzo Insigne will be in the spotlight as Italy return to the San Siro for today's Nations League Group 3 clash against European champions Portugal, 12 months after their dramatic failure to qualify for the World Cup Finals for the first time in 60 years.

Relegated to the bench by former coach Gian Piero Ventura for the entire second leg of the play-off loss to Sweden, the Napoli winger did not play a direct role in Italy's demise.

A year on and the versatile 27-year-old has become an integral part of Roberto Mancini's new-look Italy side fighting for a place in the Nations League Finals in June next year.

Insigne has started five of the seven games Mancini has overseen - two wins against Saudi Arabia and Poland and three draws.

"It hurts to think about it. More than the bench that evening, it hurts me to think that we didn't qualify," said Insigne.

Despite his goal-scoring form for Napoli - seven in 12 league games this season - Insigne has struggled to deliver on the same scale for the national team.

Today's match, to be played in front of a capacity crowd of 70,000 at the San Siro, will be Insigne's 30th for the Azzurri, but he has scored just four goals in six years and is still waiting to open his account under Mancini.

"In the national team, we meet once a month so it is more difficult (to replicate club form)," he explained. "I think it's normal to do better for your club. In Naples, we have been the same team for the past three years, even though there's a change of coaches."

Italy are two points behind Portugal in Group 3, having played a game more.

Portugal, without Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo, beat Italy 1-0 in Lisbon two months ago, and need just a point to make the Finals.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE