Injury concerns for Italy

Hopefully we can take advantage of this.

Toni, Gilardino, Gattuso, Camoranesi, Perrotta, Bonera, Legrottaglie, Cassetti and Aquilani are all ruled out through injury.

Pirlo, De Rossi and Chiellini will miss the Ireland game if they get booked in Montenegro.

Full squad below.

Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Palermo), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray)

Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Marco Motta (AS Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders: Matteo Brighi (Roma), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Pasquale Foggia (Lazio), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Andrea Pirlo (Milan)

Forwards: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal).

Totti doesnt play for italy?

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Originally Posted by Crosby87

Totti doesnt play for italy?

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Hasnt for a while I think.
I really dont think that Italy squad is anything to be afraid of. Our players come up against better players every week in the Premiership

They look weak in midfield. If De Rossi or Pirlo gets a booking they're in trouble.

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Originally Posted by Ciaran

Thats just plan ignorant, Italy are widely regarded as having one of the greatest centre midfields in the game. They have oceans of cover there.

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I'm sorry. if De Rossi got booked on Saturday Italy will probably start with Brighi and Palombo in midfield. Forget our level for a second. I'm talking about Italy. That is a huge step down from their first choice level. Roma even agreed to let Brighi go to Celtic in the summer but he turned them down.

If Pirlo or De Rossi are missing next Wednesday I won't fear Italy at all.

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Originally Posted by eirebhoy

I'm sorry. if De Rossi got booked on Saturday Italy will probably start with Brighi and Palombo in midfield. Forget our level for a second. I'm talking about Italy. That is a huge step down from their first choice level. Roma even agreed to let Brighi go to Celtic in the summer but he turned them down.

If Pirlo or De Rossi are missing next Wednesday I won't fear Italy at all.

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Yeh, I agree with you. Would have loved to have had a fit Stephen Reid in their against Italy, could have made a real difference. However, that said it is perhaps our best chance to take anything against Italy. With that many injuries and potential suspensions, their starting 11 may be far weaker than when they come to Dublin.

That Italian squad is the probably the worst I've seen in my lifetime.
I can't help but think this is our best chance to get valuable points in what, certainly theoretically, is our most difficult qualifying match.

we're still playing Italy in Italy - irrespective of the merits or otherwise of their current crop, its still an intimidating fixture and i for one think that one point would be a major achievement.

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Originally Posted by SkStu

we're still playing Italy in Italy - irrespective of the merits or otherwise of their current crop, its still an intimidating fixture and i for one think that one point would be a major achievement.

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The best we should even dream of is holding on to a nil-nil for most of the game and a late winner for us, but yes, we should be happy with 4 points from our next two games.

Not even gonna think about Italy until 10pm saturday night.

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Originally Posted by Ciaran

Retired two years ago, as did Nesta.
Thats just plan ignorant

Of greatest interest should be that Toni is out, it's been a while since they've played without him and when they do they usually have someone in a similar mold to play the targetman role like Gilardino or Cassano (who I'm not sure why he isn't included)

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Cassona.....a target man......hmmmm.........you surely can't really start a post by telling someone that they are ignorant, when you make a statement like that yourself!

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Originally Posted by Croker

Cassona.....a target man......hmmmm.........you surely can't really start a post by telling someone that they are ignorant, when you make a statement like that yourself!

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No to mention the fact he said plan ignorant!! :p

with all the injuries we should be looking to win this game but at the very least get a draw. with berba out aswell for bulgaria if by best case scenario we get 6 point...here we come south africaaa

I think that is the weakest Italian squad I have ever seen. Still a good squad but by Italian standards its pretty cat.

agree, poor enough. im glad lippi isnt going back to his older players but is he crazy not picking inzaghi and del piero. good for us tho.

cassano is a playmaker not a lone front man.

Draw would be excellent, regardless of who's missing...

a bit of reality needed here. i doubt they are too worried about our squad. just because we dont recognise some / most of that squad as being decent players doesnt mean they aren't. a draw away to the world champions would be one of our best ever results

A draw would be a good result but wouldnt it be great if we could get the attitude of the rugby players into the soccer squad... go out and have no fear of beating whatever team is put in front of u and dont be worrying about reputations. Simple fact is that Italian football is on a low ebb now compared to years gone by and while no doubt they will get back to being one of the best in the world, right now they are there for the taking. Look at France in the last Euros, big team reputation and yet they didnt score one goal.
I would definately take a draw right now and be delighted but I really thing we can top this group with the right attitude

lol cassano a target man lmao..totti has played up front for roma quite often in a lone role...it doesnt make him luca toni...lol ciaran