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Giorgio Chiellini: 'No Mario Balotelli problem'

Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini says that neither he nor his Azzurri teammates have a problem with Mario Balotelli returning to international duty.

Giorgio Chiellini has insisted that he and his Italy teammates have no issue over Mario Balotelli returning to the international fold.

The out-of-form Liverpool striker earned a surprise call-up by Antonio Conte as the former AC Milan forward prepares for a first Azzurri appearance since the World Cup.

The Italians suffered a group-stage exit in Brazil, and speculation was rife that Balotelli clashed with a number of his teammates after their elimination.

"There is nothing to fix [with regards to Balotelli]," the Juventus defender told reporters. "Our only focus is on the team and no-one has asked us about Balotelli, especially not Conte.

"I understand that for [the press] it's important to know how many times he sneezed or went to the bathroom, but we only think about the team and about winning. Everyone is important in this group."

Conte's side, who have won all three of their Euro 2016 qualifiers thus far, face co-leaders in Group H Croatia on Sunday.

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Italy's Mario Balotelli celebrates after scoring his team's second goal against Czech Republic during their World Cup qualifier on September 10, 2013
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