* Board meets on Thursday in Warsaw
* Deputy CEOs Nicastro, Ghizzoni front runners-sources
* One or two director general's could be named later
* Central bank, gov't want quick, strong succession
(Recasts with appointment likely on Thursday)
By Gianluca Semeraro and Ian Simpson
MILAN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Italy's biggest bank UniCredit SpA, facing central bank pressure for a quick succession, is likely to pick a new chief executive on Thursday, sources close to the issue said.
UniCredit is leaning toward an internal candidate to replace Alessandro Profumo, after his abrupt exit last week in a clash with shareholders, according to the sources.
The board meets in Warsaw, where UniCredit owns Bank Pekao, on Thursday. It could appoint one or two directors general at a later date in a move to balance the CEO's post.
Sources have said one top candidate is Roberto Nicastro, UniCredit's 45-year-old retail chief and one of four deputy chief executives.
Another source said on Wednesday that 54-year old Federico Ghizzoni, a deputy chief executive who is currently head of central and eastern Europe, is also a favoured candidate.
"There is a very high likelihood that the new CEO will be named tomorrow," said one of the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"On the other appointments -- a director general or directors general -- it is being considered whether it would be better to have the new CEO involved in the choice."
UniCredit's appointments committee could meet ahead of the board, a necessary step to naming a CEO. Chairman Dieter Rampl has taken over as acting chief executive.
TOUGH CHOICE
Finding an ideal successor for Profumo -- architect of UniCredit's rise from regional Italian lender to pan-European player -- will be tough, analysts and observers said.
Profumo "is a banker with a wide view of business, global. In general bankers in Italy are more provincial, more local", said Gianni Dell'Orto, head of Neusearch, a Milan executive search firm.
"So finding a gentleman that knows about banking, that can take the place of Alessandro Profumo, it's not easy. It's extremely difficult."
The checklist for the ideal candidate would include running big bank operations, knowledge of commercial banking in Italy and a high international profile, not to mention fluent Italian, Dell'Orto and analysts said.
A good relationship with non-profit shareholder foundations holding a total of 11 percent of shares would also be vital.
STRONG FOUNDATIONS
Profumo's exit came after a clash with foundations and other shareholders over Libya's growing stake. The Libyan move was the last straw for foundations and other shareholders fed up with UniCredit's lagging performance and Profumo's plan to streamline Italian operations.
"The foundations would obviously like to find an Italian, with a lot of banking experience and a high profile and who is keen to listen to their suggestions," said a Milan-based analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Bank of Italy and the Economy Ministry are pressing for a strong CEO to avert UniCredit's possible break-up of some foreign assets, two sources close to the issue said, as the foundations want more focus on Italy.
Although he has been mentioned as a CEO candidate, Enrico Cucchiani, the head of insurer Allianz Italia, has confirmed his "absolute unavailability", Ansa news agency reported on Tuesday.
Another possibility is Andrea Orcel, executive chairman of global banking at Bank of America Corp, but a financial source said he was out of the running.
(Editing by David Cowell and Elaine Hardcastle)