Italy's mid-summer renaissance might well continue this evening when they meet Romania in the second of today's Euro 2000 quarter-finals at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels. No one in the Italian camp is saying it, but the suspicion is that Italy were not at all displeased to see England eliminated by Romania in Charleroi on Tuesday night. The prospect of meeting England at the re-named Hysel Stadium was so over-laden with past and present anxiety about hooliganism that it would have inevitably added huge psychological stress to the occasion.
Italy, however, would do well not to relax. Romania have proved time and again that they are an excellent side - disciplined, organised, comfortable on the ball and very experienced, all qualities that saw them through against England. Romania welcome back their charismatic talisman in 35-year-old Gheorge Hagi, but they will be without important players in injured central defender Gheorge Popescu as well as full backs Dan Petrescu and Cosmin Contra and striker Adrian Ilie, all three suspended.
In an entirely re-shaped back four, 36-year-old veteran Miodrag Belodedici is expected to partner Liviu Ciobotariu in central defence with Cristian Chivu at left back and Iulian Filipescu moving to the right to replace Petrescu. Hagi's return may see Inter Milan striker Adrian Mutu push forward into his usual front-line role in place of Ilie and alongside Viorel Moldovan.
Unlike his Romanian counterpart Emerich Jenei, Italian coach Dino Zoff has no suspension or injury problems. Rather, Zoff suffers from an embarrassment of riches since he is almost certain to confirm his original Euro 2000 starting line-up of Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi in attack with Alessandro Del Piero returning to the substitutes' bench, notwithstanding his brilliant late winner in Italy's 2-1 win against Sweden in Eindhoven on Monday.
If Zoff makes any other changes, they might concern midfield where Luigi Di Biagio could just get in ahead of Antonio Conte. Otherwise, the midfield will have a familiar look, with Gianluca Pessotto on the left, Gianluca Zambrotta on the right, Demetrio Albertini in the centre and Stefano Fiore playing just behind the front men.
Italy have to be favourites since, unlike Romania, they cruised into this quarter-final from a relatively easy group in which only Turkey gave them any problems. Furthermore, one expects the pace of the Totti-Inzaghi-Fiore attack to prove too much for the weakened and ageing Romanian defence.
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