FORZA AZZURE



Don’t forget the Royal Blues are still the World Champions until someone else takes that Crown away. They have drawn the perfect group and will be able to ease their way into this tournament. The Italians never play exciting football but they always play effective football and that style has won plenty of World Cups in the past.

Head Coach Marcello Lippi
Team Captain Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)
FIFA Ranking 4

Italy are the current World Champions, having won the 2006 FIFA World Cup against France. It is hard to deny the Italians’ pedigree at the top of world football and they are the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup, having won four titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) -- just one less than Brazil.

In the field of coaching, 61-year-old Marcello Lippi is an expert at making changes that yield results, with no fewer than five of the 12 goals Italy registered at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany coming from substitutes. On their way to qualifying for the 2010 finals, Lippi used a total of 36 players. The leader at the back is evergreen captain Fabio Cannavaro, the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, who continues to dominate even after his 130 caps.

The Italians play a boring but accountable style of football. They are never exciting, but they certainly are successful. The reigning champions have the easiest of draws to start with, but may lack the quality needed to progress deep into the second round.

Odds to win the World Cup: 14/1 (£9.00)