UEFA EURO 2008: World champions Italy under pressure to win vs Ukraine
Second from bottom in Group B after two rounds of Euro 2008 matches, FIFA World Cup champions Italy already find themselves with their backs to the wall and in dire need of a win against Ukraine on Saturday to get back in contention.
This third matchday of qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2008 also holds particular importance for Luis Aragones’ Spain, who have a tricky assignment in Sweden, and for Netherlands, where there is reported friction between certain players and coach Marco van Basten.
After drawing their opening game at home to Lithuania 1-1, the Azzurri went down 3-1 in Paris, allowing France to exact swift revenge for their 2006 FIFA World Cup Final defeat and prompting new coach Roberto Donadoni to declare that the party was well and truly over.
Consequently, Donadoni is expected to restore key elements of the Germany 2006-winning side for the decisive match with Ukraine, with Alberto Gilardino and Antonio Cassano making way for the returning Luca Toni and Alessandro del Piero.
As for Francesco Totti, the Roma playmaker has been looking sharp for his club but still does not plan to make his comeback for the national team before next year. Fabio Grosso, meanwhile, has been forced to withdraw because of injury.
Italy can perhaps count themselves fortunate to be facing Ukraine at a time when Oleg Blokhin’s charges are racked by self-doubt. Emphatic defeats for Dynamo Kiev, the country’s main provider of international players, in their first two UEFA Champions League games and the uncertainty regarding the participation of Andriy Shevchenko will have come as good news to the four-time world champions.
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