Tardelli focusing on Irish win

Soccer:Italian World Cup winner Marco Tardelli will have no qualms about denting his native country's defence of their title in Croke Park on Saturday evening. Tardelli, one of Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni's assistant managers, will be in the dug-out at GAA headquarters this weekend hoping that his compatriots return home empty-handed.

Asked what victory over Italy would mean to him, he replied: “Success for my career.

“For me, it is important because I am a professional coach. But when the match starts, I will be very emotional.”

Ireland currently trail the Group Eight leaders by four points with both nations having two games still to play, and the Italians know a point on Saturday will be enough to send them to South Africa next summer.

However, under Trapattoni, the Republic have made significant strides and having drawn with Italy in Bari in April, have not yet given up hope of snatching the one automatic qualification spot from their grasp.

To do that, they would need to win this weekend and then repeat the feat against Montenegro on Wednesday evening while at the same time hoping the Italians slip up at home to Cyprus.

That could make Trapattoni and Tardelli, as well as fellow assistant Liam Brady, who spent seven years in Italy as a player, distinctly unpopular in their homeland, although the former defender believes Ireland currently enjoy a certain level of support there.

He said: “I think it’s possible because we have Giovanni and me, and also Liam has many friends in Italy. It’s possible.

“My daughter and my son, yes.”

The Italians, who will train in Tuscany tomorrow morning before flying into Ireland, will arrive without the suspended Fabio Cannavaro, but with midfielder Gennaro Gattuso following his recovery from the ankle injury which kept him out of last month’s victories over Georgia and Bulgaria.

The fact that a point will be enough for them to complete their qualifying mission has left the Republic in little doubt that they face a major battle to claim a victory which would give them hope of overhauling the reigning champions.

However, that is exactly what they will set out to achieve on a night of destiny.

Tardelli said: “It will be a very hard match because the Italian team is a very good team.

“Sometimes, it is possible to win against these teams, but normally they have important players.

“But we have good motivation. We need to win to go to South Africa and for Italy, it is not important to win because the last match they will play against Cyprus is an easy match.

“The Italian team always plays to win because it is a good team — they won the World Cup.

“Always against every team, they try to win.”

Trapattoni was handed a boost this evening when defenders Richard Dunne and Sean St Ledger, who were nursing ankle and thigh injuries respectively yesterday, were able to train at Gannon Park in Malahide, and Tardelli insisted Shay Given sitting out the end of the session was insignificant.

Stoke winger Liam Lawrence lined up on the right side of midfield, suggesting he could yet be handed the chance of providing the threat down that flank, and of containing marauding full-back Fabio Grosso.

Tardelli was as coy when asked about Lawrence as Brady had been yesterday.

He said: “I don’t know. We have two days to decide. Lawrence has trained well, McGeady well, Stephen Hunt well, and if you have many choices, that’s better.

“Lawrence is a good player with good experience. On the left of the Italian team, they have a good player in Grosso, and Lawrence is a strong player.”