Italy v Bulgaria Preview:ITALY FACE arguably their most delicate game of the last 18 months when facing Bulgaria in a crucial World Cup qualifier in Turin tonight.
Victory for the “Azzurri” would just about guarantee them a place in South Africa next year whilst, on the other hand, either a draw or defeat would set them up for a very uncomfortable qualifier against Ireland at Croke Park next month.
The mathematics are simple. Italy, who currently lead Ireland in Group Eight by just one point, dearly want to arrive in Dublin with a four-point cushion.
As for Bulgaria, currently five points behind Ireland in third place, their slim chances of qualification require them to not only win tonight but to follow that up with victories in their remaining two ties, away to Cyprus and at home to Georgia.
With sides such as Russia, France, Greece, Turkey and Croatia likely to find themselves in the play-offs as second-place finishers, Italy desperately want to wrap up this group, at the expense of Ireland.
Little wonder that Italian coach Marcello Lippi was making no attempt to play down the importance of tonight’s fixture, saying yesterday: “This game can see us going a long way to qualifying, this is the most important game we’ve played for some while, certainly since I returned to take over the national team (in July 2008)”.
Lippi’s team, of course, comes into tonight’s game on the back of some very unimpressive form, most recently in a 2-0 away win against Georgia last Saturday night when the only man who could find the back of the net was Georgia’s captain, AC Milan central defender Kakha Kaladze, scorer of two own goals.
Furthermore, Italy have now gone four games without actually scoring a goal themselves. Lippi, however, rejects the suggestion that this is a poor quality Italy, pointing out that Italy often struggle in qualification: “History shows that we’re like that, in qualifying we have never shone. We have always been a team for the finals.
“Right now, our only thoughts should be on going to the World Cup, then in those 30 to 40 days there, everything will be different. We’re not worried about goals, they will come as soon as we play well. I don’t care who scores, even goalkeeper Buffon can do it with a header if he likes”
Lippi is likely to make a number of changes to the side that won in Georgia, with the Juventus pair of Fabio Grosso at left back and Claudio Marchisio at left midfield expected to return in place of Mimmo Criscito and Marco Marchionni respectively.
AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, suspended against Georgia, returns in midfield whilst Fabio Quagliarella may ease out Giuseppe Rossi alongside Vincenzo Iaquinta in attack. However, on the forward options Lippi said: “I will wait until the last minute to consider who will play.”
Bulgaria will also make changes from the side that beat Montenegro 4-1 in Sofia on Saturday.
Midfielder Dimitar Telkiyski, a second half substitute and goal scorer against Montenegro, is suspended whilst defender Zhivko Milanov is ruled out through injury. Coach Stanimir Stoilov will inevitably lean heavily on his two most “representative” players, Manchester City midfielder Martin Petrov and Manchester Utd striker Dimitar Berbatov.
The latter sounded the charge for his companions yesterday, saying: “This will be a very difficult game for us . . . but I’m convinced we can beat Italy”.
A lot of Irish fans will hope he is right.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
ITALY(4-4-2): Buffon; Zambrotta, Chiellini, Cannavaro, Grosso; Camoranesi, De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio; Quagliarella, Iaquinta
BULGARIA(4-4-2): Ivankov; Manolev, Stoyanov, Kotev, Kishishev; Yankov, S. Petrov. Angelov, M. Petrov; Berbatov, Rangelov.
Referee:Florian Meyer (Ger)
