Mario Balotelli left OUT of Italy's squad for Euro 2016 qualifiers... but Southampton striker Graziano Pelle is included

Mario Balotelli has been left out of Italy's squad again by new coach Antonio Conte, who has favoured Southampton striker Graziano Pelle instead.

Balotelli has yet to score a goal in the Premier League for Liverpool while Pelle has impressed on the South Coast, netting four times. 

For Italy's 2016 European Championship qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Malta, 20-year-old Empoli center back Daniele Rugani was also called up.

Balotelli was also left off the squad last month for a friendly win over the Netherlands and the Norway match, when Immobile and Zaza worked well as the forward pairing. 

Last season, Pelle scored 23 goals in 28 matches for Feyenoord in the Dutch league but was ignored by then-Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, who resigned after the Azzurri's first-round elimination from the World Cup.

Pirlo could return on Sunday for Juventus from a month out with a bruised right hip while De Rossi is still out with a torn left calf muscle.

Defenders Andrea Barzagli, Davide Astori and Gabriel Paletta are also out injured. 

The other forwards included were Ciro Immobile, Simone Zaza, Pablo Osvaldo, Mattia Destro and Sebastian Giovinco.

With Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi unavailable, midfielders Thiago Motta of Paris Saint-Germain and Giacomo Bonaventura returned to the squad.

Italy hosts Azerbaijan in Palermo on Friday, then makes a short trip to visit Malta three days later.

With so little time between matches, Conte called up an extended squad of 26 players.

Having won their opening qualifier in Norway, Italy is tied for the Group H lead with Bulgaria and Croatia.

see the full squad list here:

Italy squad for 2016 European Championship qualifiers 

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Mattia Perin (Genoa), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain).

Defenders: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus), Andrea Ranocchia (Inter Milan), Daniele Rugani (Empoli).

Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina), Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Andrea Poli (Milan), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint-Germain), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain).

Forwards: Mattia Destro (Roma), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dortmund), Pablo Osvaldo (Inter Milan), Graziano Pelle (Southampton), Simone Zaza (Sassuolo).