Betting on Italy at the World Cup 2010

World Cup appearances: 16

Best World Cup: Champions; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Nicknames: Azzurri

Manager: Marcello Lippi

 Group – F

Italy Team Profile

Where do we start with the Italians, the current World Cup champions! They are one of the most efficent footballing nations on the planet and rarely will you see an Italian side stroll into the finals and leave with their tails between their legs. This will be their 17^th showing in a World Cup, and while that will sound an incredibly high amount of turnouts, it isn’t the most as Brazil claim that honour, as they’ve appeared in every single World Cup, but the Italians are level in second place alongside the consistent Germans, which just goes to show how consistent a nation Italy are.

The pressure will be on them this time around though, as they are the reigning champions and like all champions they are expect to do well, the fans demand that they do well while every other nation competing will be vying for their crown. However, their squad isn’t one of the strongest travelling to South Africa but their 23 man squad didn’t look all that great in 2006 and that didn’t stop them lifting the prestigious trophy aloft. That was their fourth World Cup success, their first in 24 years, and were they to rule supreme in South Africa they would go level with Brazil on five World Cup’s won.

Betting Brief:

You can’t go far wrong with the Italians as they are one of the more consistent nations around, while you’ll have to stretch all the way back to 1974 for when Italy last failed to bypass the group stages of the competition. Since that disappointing campaign back in 1974, though, Italy have lost twice in the Round of 16 stage (The first knock-out fixture after the groups), lost out in the quarter’s once, and finished in the Semi-Final’s and above in their remaining six appearances, winning two titles along the way. Also, the Italians have a mean final record once they get there, winning four out of six finals they’ve appeared in.

This time, though, the Italians don’t appear to have that strong a squad, and this isn’t made any better by the fact that Marcello Lippi, the Italy manager, tends to prefer experience over youth, and this ageing Italian team looked a dieing breed at the Confederations Cup last year, in which Italy didn’t even make it past the group stage of that competition, being beaten by the Egyptians and getting demolished by a classy Brazil. They do have some serious quality, though, but Lippi has been reluctant to hand some fresh, young blood the opportunity to shine and he will only have a handful of youngsters to choose from in South Africa, unless he picks a few surprise players on squad selection day. However, Davide Santon and Guiseppe Rossi are two bright sparks for Italy, with the latter a serious star in the making, if only Lippi would give them a chance.

World Cup Potential – 3/5

Italy World Cup Betting Odds

Italy to win the World Cup (Outright odds) – 13/1 William Hill

Before the World Cup the odds on Italy were 16/1 

Manager

Marcello Lippi is one of the most successful managers on the planet and has won just about every honour known to man in football as a manager. He has spent all of his managerial days involved with Italy, whether that be with the National side or coaching clubs within Italy. His honours range from winning the Serie A title no less than five times, to winning the UEFA Champions League, all coming when he was at the helm of Juventus during their glory days.

Lippi has been said to have put the morale and spirit of the team before anything else, and believes a positive aurora around the squad is the basis for a successful team. He also believes greatly in the value of teamwork, and is not a fan of selfish individuals who wish to seek out the glory all for themselves. This strict yet honest approach has made him one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, and the matter of him guiding Italy to the World Cup trophy in 2006 puts him up their as one of the greatest.

Italy Key Players

Gianluigi Buffon (Goalkeeper) – The Juventus shot-stopper has remained as one of the world’s best goalkeepers for well over a decade now and his reliable displays between the sticks has earned him 100 caps for his country and has rarely missed a game an International level, much is his dominance in that position in Italy. He could spend half the game twiddling his thumbs when all of a sudden he will be called upon and nine times out of ten, Buffon delivers with a stunning save. There is no point listing his qualities as he has just about everything a keeper needs to be the very best; he’s quick, extremely agile, cool under pressure and a great defensive organiser.

Fabio Cannavaro – Some will claim he is past it while others reckon he’s one of the best defenders to ever embrace the game. At 36 years or age, Cannavaro will be the oldest player in the Italian squad when they head out to African in the summer, and it comes as no surprise to hear that he is the most capped Italian player earning a staggering 131 caps for his country. However, with all the nostalgic records out of the way, his inclusion into the heart of the Italian defence has been greeted with a mixed response, a lot of it negative, as many believe Cannavaro is too old to keep up with the pace of today’s football and that, although his experience is priceless, a defender with more youth on his side should be his replacement. Lippi, though, has stuck by his captain and will do so during South Africa. Only time will tell as to whether this was a good or bad move, and if we will see Cannavaro lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the second successive time.

Guiseppe Rossi – We’ve mentioned two golden oldies if you like but now it’s time to speak about the Italian’s future star in the making – Guiseppe Rossi. The Villarreal striker hasn’t always been a prominent inclusion in Lippi’s starting line up but his efforts at the Confederations Cup made him the stand out player in what was a poor Italian showing. He is, though, getting more first team action as he steadily improves his game, but his three goals in 14 appearances, albeit most of them from the bench, won’t have warmed the heart of manager, Marcello Lippi. Give the chance, though, Rossi could be one of the stars for Italy in South Africa as he provides Italy with a pacey striking outlet, which differs from their usual hold’em-up style of play with tally, lanky forwards often preferred.

Pro’s / Con’s

Italy’s biggest asset and probably the only fear factor surrounding them is their immense consistency on the big stage. Time and time again the Italians spring a surprise by going further than anyone had previously anticipated before the tournament kicked-off, and this chanted life they live is one of the reasons why most nations will want to avoid the Italians when the knock-out stage of the competition comes around.

Our biggest concern with them is the overall age of their squad. There will be more than half-a-dozen 30+ years old players at the tournament representing Italy, and in a climate where the speed of the game has significantly increased, questions will be asked over whether an ageing Italian side can keep up with the pace of their opponents. This pointer was proved correct in last summers Confederations Cup in which the Italians were knocked out at just the group stage of the competition, losing to both Egypt & Brazil, a thumping defeat to Brazil at that. Italy looked rigid and stiff, with their defence heavily criticised after a poor showing.

Italy Qualification for the World Cup

Italy won Group 8 in the European zone, a group which consisted of some really ordinary nations as well as some really poor nations, so it was no surprise that Italy did qualify as group winners, although they did leave it later than expected. Their main challengers for automatic qualification were the Republic of Ireland & Bulgaria, but neither really pushed the Italians as they qualified with six points in hand over second placed, Republic of Ireland.

To their credit, Italy did remain unbeaten throughout qualifying, winning seven of ten qualifiers, with the remaining three all finishing as draws. They scored 18 goals and conceded just the 7 in return, while Alberto Gilardino finished the campaign as top goalscorer for his country, although his tally of four goals will hardly set the world alight.

Italy did, however, concede five goals in their last two qualifiers at a time when they were all but home and hosed.

Official Italy World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Morgan De Sanctis (SSC Napoli)

Federico Marchetti (Cagliari Calcio)

Defenders

Salvatore Bocchetti (FC Genoa)

Leonardo Bonucci (AS Bari)

Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Domenico Criscito (FC Genoa)

Christian Maggio (SSC Napoli)

Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders

Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus Turin)

Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma)

Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)

Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

Riccardo Montolivo (AC Firenze)

Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria Genoa)

Simone Pepe (Udinese Calcio)

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Strikers

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio)

Alberto Gilardino (AC Firenze)

Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)

Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria Genoa)

Fabio Quagliarella (SSC Napoli)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Italy Fixtures – Group F

World Cup 2010 Group F - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group F Teams: Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand. A fascinating betting group is this one. The defending Champions Italy were drawn in this group, and they have a great mix of opposition to test their mettle, as they look to retain their title. They are waiting news on the fitness of Andrea Pirlo, and World Cup odds are well worth casting an eye over in this one. What will Paraguay and Slovakia bring to the table? Can New Zealand take any points from their second ever World Cup? There is less than a week now to finalise your World Cup betting, before the big kick off in Johannesburg on June 11th. Here we take a look at the best value bets to be found on Group F, to help your betting decisions.

Group Outright: Italy 1/2 at Ladbrokes
The Italians, under Marcello Lippi have not been taking the same route to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and most other nations. Instead of honing their match sharpness, they have instead, been focusing on their conditioning at camp. What does this mean in terms of betting on Italy at the World Cup? Well, the defending champions have been labeled everything from Dad’s Army to Golden Oldies, describing the aging squad. While it is true they have some strong veterans in the squad, like Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi, Gianluca Zambrotta and Andrea Pirlo, there is more than enough young legs in their side to run other teams into the ground. It is actually a very well balanced squad, and one thing that the Italians will have over most other teams in the tournament, is an incredible mentality. That is something which they will pull together on, even if they are not playing well. They came through European qualification comfortably, in their own style, which may lack a lot of flair of the likes of Spain, Holland and Brazil, but Italy know how to get the job done, and they have one of the best coaches in the world at handling tactics. How the Italians set themselves up, and how the Italians play won’t shock anyone, and that means teams will know how to play against them. It doesn’t mean that they will be able to beat them though. There is a lot to be admired about the defending champions, and they should be strong force in the group.

To Qualify: Slovakia 13/10 at William Hill
This really is one of the most exciting groups at South Africa 2010. Slovakia topped their European qualification group, edging out Slovenia, who beat the winners twice in the group. Slovakia though, still had enough to get over the finish line, and are worth looking at in World Cup Odds. They have had a few injury worries, including captain Martin Skrtel who has just found out that he will be able to participate in the World Cup after he received positive news about his injured ankle. Their key player is midfielder Marek Hamsik, who pulls all of the strings for Slovakia, as they head to their first ever World Cup. What benefits them on their debut, is that picking up points from their group opposition is extremely feasible. Being their first World Cup, they won’t be shy of taking on their group rivals, as they know they have nothing to lose. They should be able to pick up maximum points against New Zealand, and then it will be a test of their technical ability to beat out South American’s Paraguay for the second spot.

Top Group Stage Scorers: Paraguay 24/13 at Bwin
Paraguay showed a strong attacking flair in their impressive qualification campaign in the South American Zone. Their top scorer was Salvador Cabanas, who won’t be at South Africa 2010, as he was the unfortunate victim of a shooting to the head. While he is on the road to recovery, his absence will be sadly missed at South Africa 2010. The goal scoring duties will fall upon Nelson Valdez, Roque Santa Cruz and exciting young talent Lucas Barrios. They finished qualification just one point behind winners Brazil, and level on points with Chile. They do not have the strongest of defences though, and coach Gerardo Martino has demanded his players work harder at the back. Still, they have beaten World Cup bound Greece, fought back twice from behind to hold the Ivory Coast, but suffered a loss against the Republic of Ireland in their international friendly warm up matches. Paraguay have never been beyond the last sixteen of the World Cup, but it shows that they can get out of their group, and with their current side, they should explode with goals.

Group Goals Total: Under 15.5 goals Evens at Bwin
This may fly in the face of the Paraguay bet above, but this is a good value bet to back. Typically, Italy will not be full of goals, and being the seeded team in the group, a lot of what happens in the World Cup Fixtures in Group F will be influenced by the defending Champions. Italy should also be tight at the back, with the capability of blanking the rest of the group out. New Zealand will likely struggle for goals, and with the relative unknown quantity of Slovakia, this should be a tight group, with not too many goals flying in. The best match of the group should be Paraguay v Slovakia which could have a huge bearing on the next best value of the group.

Italy to finish second: 13/5 at Boylesports
Yes, this is worth looking at because of the odds. The Italians have not been having everything their own way in their build up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and this is why this bet is in here. After losing to Mexico and then drawing with Switzerland, the Italians are looking for a little bit of match sharpness, and having to face a Paraguay side in the first match, a side who likes to attack with pace, then they could be caught cold. This group could run a lot closer than many may think, especially with Slovakia in the mix as well. It is hard to see Italy not qualifying from the group, but there is a chance of upsets happening in Group F, and if so, then it will be at Italy’s expense. Italy are a great tournament nation, but could have their hands full here, and be pushed all the way.
 

Punters looking at World Cup betting may sit up and take notice of the apparent ruthlessness running through the Italian camp. What was expected to be the Italian first choice left back at the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been cut from the squad, as manager Marcello Lippi made two cuts this week. Juventus player Fabio Grosso, who has been the stalwart in the left back for Italy for year’s now, and was the one who netted the crucial penalty in the World Cup final in Germany 2006, has been cut from the squad. The entire Juventus defence has not been great all season, and the veteran full back has paid the price, as Lippi gets ruthless in his nation’s preparations. Along with Grosso went the inexperienced midfielder Antonia Candreva, but it is the shock of seeing Grosso depart, which adds an air of authority and a business like streak to the Italians. These are the first two cuts from the provisional 30 man squad that Lippi has made.

The defending World Cup Champions seem to be flying under the radar a little bit, with regards to odds at the best bookmakers for betting on the World Cup. They are out in the chasing pack, even after a very strong and efficient qualifying campaign from Europe. There has been little sentiment in the decision to ditch Grosso, as his club form simply has not been good enough, according to Lippi. It is not what players have done before for club or country, it is current form that the Italians are banking on. The Italy which will fly to South Africa, is a vastly different one to the side who picked up the trophy in Germany 2006. Just eight of that World Cup winning squad remain in the current squad, and it is they who will form the back bone of experience through the side, such as goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon. It also should quell some fires that Italy are nothing more than a Dad’s Army.

Italy have two international friendly matches before they kick off the defence of their World Cup. They play Mexico and Switzerland as part of their preparations, while remaining on Italian soil for their training. Italy are in Group F along with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. Their first match is against the South Americans Paraguay in what should be a stern test of their defence. Italy are favourite in World Cup odds to win their group, and could well be in line for a showdown with tournament favourites Spain in the Quarter Finals, which can be seen with the free download of our printable World Cup fixture chart.
 

After discussing the potential which lies in betting on World Cup dark horses in the group stages, as opposed to the Outright Winner market, there are some teams better positioned to go all of the way. South Africa 2010 will be the nineteenth time that the World Cup has been staged, and there has been just seven different winners. Brazil, Italy, England, Uruguay, France, Germany and Argentina. Looking at World Cup Odds for this year’s tournament, Spain are leading the way as favourites, and there is every chance that there will be a new name on the trophy come the end of the Final on July 11th. But will it be the one which everyone suspects it will be? Is there a hint of a chance that one of the other outsiders, especially from the strong chasing European pack, will grab all of the headlines. Here we take a look at some of the teams who are out in the teens when it comes to World Cup betting.

France
Failed to win their European qualification group, but did squeeze into the finals thanks to a controversial play-off victory against the Republic of Ireland. The players of the team which reached the finals of the last world cup, have largely departed international duty, names like Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane. The ones that are back again to represent Les Blues, are starting to fall into the veteran category, with the likes of Thierry Henry there. What will this do to their chances? Coached by Raymond Domenech, there is a certain air of unpredictability about the French. At times during qualification, and friendly matches, they have looked disjointed and without direction. Domenech is not the most popular choice with fans, but he will again persevere with his own ways of tinkering with things. The plusses for France, is that they have world class goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris, and he falls among some quality youth that they do have at their disposal. Frank Ribery is the stand out star, along with the quality that Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra is able to bring to the table, along with Gourcuff. They have the ability to present a class midfield, but whether Domenech has the right hand to get them to play together is another thing entirely. Still, they are there in the mix, and they were favoured with a relatively easy draw, against Mexico, Uruguay and hosts South Africa. Could be in line for a Quarter Final showdown with England if things go to plan. That would be winnable, and once you are in the semi finals, perhaps pedigree of a nation does take over.

Holland
Could the orange of Holland be dancing in the streets of Johannesburg at the final whistle of the World Cup final? They have been strong in the FIFA World rankings, and they came through European Qualification without so much as breaking a sweat. They maintained a 100% record in their group, showing dominance and flair, and that carried through in friendly against England’s first opponents, the USA. As with Dutch teams of past tournaments, they have the ability. No-one questions that, and it was visible during qualification. But the question mark which hangs above the Dutch, as always, is one of consistency. Are they consistent enough? They have not really been tested against strong opposition, being drawn in a fairly weak qualification group, which did contain Scotland and Iceland. In a drawn friendly against England last year, they showed the true two sides of their personality. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Robin Van Perise and Arjen Robben really could elevate them this time around, and they have every chance of backing up the bookmakers odds of winning their group. They have to compete against Cameroon, Denmark and Japan, none of which should strike any fear into a Holland side on top of their game. Should avoid too much trouble in the World Cup fixtures until they get to the quarter finals, where Brazil will probably await them.

Italy
Yes, the defending champions are back in the running when it comes to World Cup odds. Why look at betting on Italy at the World Cup? It is a little inexplicable, and the only explanation is they are perceived to be an aging team, and that Brazil and Spain are so strong, no-one else is really going to be in with any kind of chance whatsoever. However, they are guided by such a strong hand in Marcelo Lippi, that they cannot be discounted. No-one really expected them to win the last tournament due to the strengths of Brazil, but they did, beating the French in the final. They are not essentially and old team, and neither are they really packed full of household names. But any Italian side will go out and do their defensive duties to the best of their abilities. Their defence will come under some scrutiny against the attacking Paraguay side, and could well have their hands full with Slovakia as well. They will come up against some tests in their group, and if successes are gained against those, then it could well set them up for the latter rounds. Italians have strong defence, good technical ability, if lacking a little flair. Very strong on the tactical side, and despite being labelled as old, they have the legs to go all the way in the tournament, and equal Brazil’s record. Lippi has left out the likes of Del Piero and Totti, and that sends something of a statement that they faith in players beyond their big name veterans. They should meet Spain in the Quarter Finals, perhaps the team best suited to quelling the attacking power of the World Cup favourites.

World Cup appearances: 16

Best World Cup: Champions; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Nicknames: Azzurri

Manager: Marcello Lippi

 Group – F

Italy Team Profile

Where do we start with the Italians, the current World Cup champions! They are one of the most efficent footballing nations on the planet and rarely will you see an Italian side stroll into the finals and leave with their tails between their legs. This will be their 17^th showing in a World Cup, and while that will sound an incredibly high amount of turnouts, it isn’t the most as Brazil claim that honour, as they’ve appeared in every single World Cup, but the Italians are level in second place alongside the consistent Germans, which just goes to show how consistent a nation Italy are.

The pressure will be on them this time around though, as they are the reigning champions and like all champions they are expect to do well, the fans demand that they do well while every other nation competing will be vying for their crown. However, their squad isn’t one of the strongest travelling to South Africa but their 23 man squad didn’t look all that great in 2006 and that didn’t stop them lifting the prestigious trophy aloft. That was their fourth World Cup success, their first in 24 years, and were they to rule supreme in South Africa they would go level with Brazil on five World Cup’s won.

Betting Brief:

You can’t go far wrong with the Italians as they are one of the more consistent nations around, while you’ll have to stretch all the way back to 1974 for when Italy last failed to bypass the group stages of the competition. Since that disappointing campaign back in 1974, though, Italy have lost twice in the Round of 16 stage (The first knock-out fixture after the groups), lost out in the quarter’s once, and finished in the Semi-Final’s and above in their remaining six appearances, winning two titles along the way. Also, the Italians have a mean final record once they get there, winning four out of six finals they’ve appeared in.

This time, though, the Italians don’t appear to have that strong a squad, and this isn’t made any better by the fact that Marcello Lippi, the Italy manager, tends to prefer experience over youth, and this ageing Italian team looked a dieing breed at the Confederations Cup last year, in which Italy didn’t even make it past the group stage of that competition, being beaten by the Egyptians and getting demolished by a classy Brazil. They do have some serious quality, though, but Lippi has been reluctant to hand some fresh, young blood the opportunity to shine and he will only have a handful of youngsters to choose from in South Africa, unless he picks a few surprise players on squad selection day. However, Davide Santon and Guiseppe Rossi are two bright sparks for Italy, with the latter a serious star in the making, if only Lippi would give them a chance.

World Cup Potential – 3/5

Italy World Cup Betting Odds

Italy to win the World Cup (Outright odds) – 13/1 William Hill

Before the World Cup the odds on Italy were 16/1 

Manager

Marcello Lippi is one of the most successful managers on the planet and has won just about every honour known to man in football as a manager. He has spent all of his managerial days involved with Italy, whether that be with the National side or coaching clubs within Italy. His honours range from winning the Serie A title no less than five times, to winning the UEFA Champions League, all coming when he was at the helm of Juventus during their glory days.

Lippi has been said to have put the morale and spirit of the team before anything else, and believes a positive aurora around the squad is the basis for a successful team. He also believes greatly in the value of teamwork, and is not a fan of selfish individuals who wish to seek out the glory all for themselves. This strict yet honest approach has made him one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, and the matter of him guiding Italy to the World Cup trophy in 2006 puts him up their as one of the greatest.

Italy Key Players

Gianluigi Buffon (Goalkeeper) – The Juventus shot-stopper has remained as one of the world’s best goalkeepers for well over a decade now and his reliable displays between the sticks has earned him 100 caps for his country and has rarely missed a game an International level, much is his dominance in that position in Italy. He could spend half the game twiddling his thumbs when all of a sudden he will be called upon and nine times out of ten, Buffon delivers with a stunning save. There is no point listing his qualities as he has just about everything a keeper needs to be the very best; he’s quick, extremely agile, cool under pressure and a great defensive organiser.

Fabio Cannavaro – Some will claim he is past it while others reckon he’s one of the best defenders to ever embrace the game. At 36 years or age, Cannavaro will be the oldest player in the Italian squad when they head out to African in the summer, and it comes as no surprise to hear that he is the most capped Italian player earning a staggering 131 caps for his country. However, with all the nostalgic records out of the way, his inclusion into the heart of the Italian defence has been greeted with a mixed response, a lot of it negative, as many believe Cannavaro is too old to keep up with the pace of today’s football and that, although his experience is priceless, a defender with more youth on his side should be his replacement. Lippi, though, has stuck by his captain and will do so during South Africa. Only time will tell as to whether this was a good or bad move, and if we will see Cannavaro lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the second successive time.

Guiseppe Rossi – We’ve mentioned two golden oldies if you like but now it’s time to speak about the Italian’s future star in the making – Guiseppe Rossi. The Villarreal striker hasn’t always been a prominent inclusion in Lippi’s starting line up but his efforts at the Confederations Cup made him the stand out player in what was a poor Italian showing. He is, though, getting more first team action as he steadily improves his game, but his three goals in 14 appearances, albeit most of them from the bench, won’t have warmed the heart of manager, Marcello Lippi. Give the chance, though, Rossi could be one of the stars for Italy in South Africa as he provides Italy with a pacey striking outlet, which differs from their usual hold’em-up style of play with tally, lanky forwards often preferred.

Pro’s / Con’s

Italy’s biggest asset and probably the only fear factor surrounding them is their immense consistency on the big stage. Time and time again the Italians spring a surprise by going further than anyone had previously anticipated before the tournament kicked-off, and this chanted life they live is one of the reasons why most nations will want to avoid the Italians when the knock-out stage of the competition comes around.

Our biggest concern with them is the overall age of their squad. There will be more than half-a-dozen 30+ years old players at the tournament representing Italy, and in a climate where the speed of the game has significantly increased, questions will be asked over whether an ageing Italian side can keep up with the pace of their opponents. This pointer was proved correct in last summers Confederations Cup in which the Italians were knocked out at just the group stage of the competition, losing to both Egypt & Brazil, a thumping defeat to Brazil at that. Italy looked rigid and stiff, with their defence heavily criticised after a poor showing.

Italy Qualification for the World Cup

Italy won Group 8 in the European zone, a group which consisted of some really ordinary nations as well as some really poor nations, so it was no surprise that Italy did qualify as group winners, although they did leave it later than expected. Their main challengers for automatic qualification were the Republic of Ireland & Bulgaria, but neither really pushed the Italians as they qualified with six points in hand over second placed, Republic of Ireland.

To their credit, Italy did remain unbeaten throughout qualifying, winning seven of ten qualifiers, with the remaining three all finishing as draws. They scored 18 goals and conceded just the 7 in return, while Alberto Gilardino finished the campaign as top goalscorer for his country, although his tally of four goals will hardly set the world alight.

Italy did, however, concede five goals in their last two qualifiers at a time when they were all but home and hosed.

Official Italy World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Morgan De Sanctis (SSC Napoli)

Federico Marchetti (Cagliari Calcio)

Defenders

Salvatore Bocchetti (FC Genoa)

Leonardo Bonucci (AS Bari)

Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Domenico Criscito (FC Genoa)

Christian Maggio (SSC Napoli)

Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders

Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus Turin)

Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma)

Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)

Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

Riccardo Montolivo (AC Firenze)

Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria Genoa)

Simone Pepe (Udinese Calcio)

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Strikers

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio)

Alberto Gilardino (AC Firenze)

Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)

Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria Genoa)

Fabio Quagliarella (SSC Napoli)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Italy Fixtures – Group F

World Cup Group F - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Italy