PARIS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- France captain Yannick Noah announced on Tuesday a squad composed of five players for April's Davis Cup World Group quarterfinal clash away to Italy.

The defending champions called up Lucas Pouille, Adrian Mannarino and Jeremy Chardy for singles, alongside doubles specialists Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils were put aside this time due to injuries or recent bad form.

The two sides have split their previous 10 encounters with five wins apiece. France has only won on Italian soil once before, in Rome back in 1927.

In the 1996 edition's semifinal in Nantes, their most recent encounter, France recovered from a 2-0 deficit to march into the final.

The 10-time winner is aiming for a spot in last four for the third straight year, while Italy is looking to reach the semifinals for the second time since they finished runners-up in 1998, added to their last-four finish in 2014.