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Attack the only option for Italy
Paris, June 10: Italy must pour into attack against a solid Finland defence in Helsinki tomorrow to stay in the running for automatic qualification for next year`s European championships.
Paris, June 10: Italy must pour into attack against a solid Finland defence in Helsinki tomorrow to stay in the running for automatic qualification for next year's European championships.
Group nine has a strange look, with Italy trailing unfashionable Wales by five points with four games each left to play so Giovanni Trapattoni's team badly need a victory to close the gap before the summer break.
Lazio's Bernardo Corradi will be the lone striker in the absence of Inter's Christian Vieri, but he should get plenty of options from the midfield trio of Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, and Stefano Fiore, who replaces the injured Mauro Camoranesi on the right.
"The doubts that I had have been resolved," said Trapattoni. "I don't want to disrupt the balance that we have found over the last week.”
"I have no real worries about playing Gianluca Zambrotta as a left-back. Stefano Fiore can drift into the centre so long as he remembers to cover when necessary."
The backbone of the Finnish team is Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia, who scored the first goal in the 3-0 drubbing of Serbia and Montenegro on Saturday.
Mikael Forssell, the Chelsea striker who spent last season on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach, leads the attack in a team who trail Italy by a point.
The Italians will not fancy entering the playoff that the ten second-placed teams must endure to book a ticket for the finals in Portugal.
Bureau Report
Group nine has a strange look, with Italy trailing unfashionable Wales by five points with four games each left to play so Giovanni Trapattoni's team badly need a victory to close the gap before the summer break.
Lazio's Bernardo Corradi will be the lone striker in the absence of Inter's Christian Vieri, but he should get plenty of options from the midfield trio of Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, and Stefano Fiore, who replaces the injured Mauro Camoranesi on the right.
"The doubts that I had have been resolved," said Trapattoni. "I don't want to disrupt the balance that we have found over the last week.”
"I have no real worries about playing Gianluca Zambrotta as a left-back. Stefano Fiore can drift into the centre so long as he remembers to cover when necessary."
The backbone of the Finnish team is Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia, who scored the first goal in the 3-0 drubbing of Serbia and Montenegro on Saturday.
Mikael Forssell, the Chelsea striker who spent last season on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach, leads the attack in a team who trail Italy by a point.
The Italians will not fancy entering the playoff that the ten second-placed teams must endure to book a ticket for the finals in Portugal.
Bureau Report