Italy can repeat 2006 heroics against Germany: Del Piero

Milan: Alessandro Del Piero is confident that Italy have what it takes to beat Germany in Thursday`s Euro 2012 semi-final and follow in the footsteps of the Azzurri team that won the 2006 World Cup.

The Nazionale beat die Mannschaft 2-0 in Dortmund six years ago to book their ticket for the final, and the former Juventus star feels that Cesare Prandelli`s men have the qualities to repeat that victory. "Why Italy can beat Germany? Because they have shown that they are becoming more and more solid by the game. They have a strong identity and know how to take advantage of their chances," Del Piero was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "Germany are a bit like Italy in my opinion. They are a very compact team with some superb individuals. We have to pay close attention to [Mesut] Ozil, [Mario] Gomez and Thomas [Muller]." Thursday`s encounter in Warsaw kicks off at 20:45CET. Goal.com