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MILAN (AP)—Italy coach Cesare Prandelli believes the 2012 European Championship qualifier against Estonia on Friday is still important despite his team being five points clear of its nearest group rival.

Italy has won four of five qualifiers and drawn the other match to lead Group C. Slovenia and Serbia are joint second after having both played a game more.

“It is the most difficult match I have had since taking over,” Prandelli said Monday. “It is a decisive game against Estonia. I want a squad that will give their all because this game is fundamental (to qualifying), and traditionally we haven’t always played our best in June and September.”

Prandelli has selected a 25-man squad for fitness testing ahead of the match and the friendly on Tuesday against Ireland in Liege.

Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano return to the squad after ending the season on high notes. Balotelli won the FA Cup with Manchester City, while Cassano was part of the squad that won AC Milan’s first Serie A title since 2004.

“They haven’t played much, though oddly enough that means they are likely to do better in the physical tests than the others,” Prandelli said. “I said the same thing to Balotelli as I’ve just said to you. He seemed to understand and he isn’t happy with his season, despite finishing with a win in a final.

“Cassano must knuckle down to work in Milan and find his place in the team. Those who don’t play much, generally, lose their form.”

One player not back in the squad is Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who violated Prandelli’s code of conduct by ending the season serving a three-match ban for hitting an opponent.

He also missed the wins over Slovenia and Ukraine in March as he was banned by UEFA for three games for elbowing Shakhtar Donetsk captain Dario Srna in the face during a Champions League match.

When he replaced Marcello Lippi after Italy’s first-round elimination from the World Cup, Prandelli instituted new rules whereby national team players are expected to meet high behavioral standards even with their clubs.

“De Rossi isn’t out of the squad for technical reasons and I am very sorry about that,” Prandelli said. “He needs to find his form and consistency that he appears to have lost over the last few months.

“I haven’t closed the door on him, but certain things on the pitch aren’t acceptable and I have said that from the start.”

Italy’s next qualifier is at the Faeroe Islands on Sept. 2.

Labels: coach, Estonia, important, Italy, qualifier, still

MILAN, April 1 (Reuters) - Brief news ahead of this weekend’s Serie A matches.

* Inter Milan defender Lucio is suspended for Saturday’s derby (1845 GMT) with league leaders AC Milan while fellow centre back Andrea Ranocchia faces a late fitness test along with left back Cristian Chivu.

Injury-prone striker Diego Milito may make the bench.

Inter, managed by last season’s Milan coach Leonardo and seeking a sixth straight scudetto with eight games left, will storm top with a win against their rivals in one of the biggest derbies for years.

* Milan are without suspended former Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and are in shaky form but midfielder Clarence Seedorf, another ex-Inter player, has rallied the troops after some team mates had attempted to play down the significance of the game.

“I say that this derby is decisive. On a psychological level, it counts a lot, anyone who says otherwise is a liar,” the Dutchman told a news conference.

* Inter’s buildup has been partly upset by president Massimo Moratti being called to give evidence to the soccer federation over accusations his club were also involved in the 2006 match-fixing scandal and should have that year’s scudetto stripped.

Moratti, who denies any role in the affair for which Juventus and Milan were among those punished, told reporters: “It was important I was here. You’ll have to ask them how it went but it was a calm and educated meeting. I am more than convinced of my position.”

* Third-placed Napoli, three points behind Milan, host Lazio in fifth in another big game on Sunday (1030) with doubts over the fitness of midfielder Juan Zuniga because of an ankle injury.

Lazio boss Edy Reja has hinted he may change formation for the clash as he tries to revive their Champions League hopes.

* Sixth-placed AS Roma welcome Juventus in seventh in Sunday’s late match (1845) with anticipation building over Thomas Di Benedetto’s consortium taking over of the capital club.

“Winning the scudetto as soon as possible is the aim,” the American, who denied there were problems with UEFA given he has been part of the group which owns Liverpool, told reporters.

“In reality, we hope for success this season because qualifying for the Champions League would count as a great victory.”

Juventus are injury-riddled for the game with striker Vincenzo Iaquinta possibly out for the season, defender Giorgio Chiellini missing for maybe a month and Alessandro Del Piero doubtful with a knock.

* Udinese, looking to cling on to the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot, travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Sunday (1300) with no new injuries following the international break.

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Labels: backline, decisive, derby, Italy, Reuters, roundupInter

Ireland began their Six Nations campaign with a win over Italy at the weekend, however it was a less than stellar performance from the team as unforced errors almost cost them victory.

Italy took an early lead in the game with Mirco Bergamasco slotting over his first penalty after Ireland’s Sean O’Brien was penalised for not releasing.

Ireland tried to gain a foothold in the match for most of the first quarter but a series of unforced errors and poor handling skills put an end to any scoring opportunities.

It was only when the half-hour mark approached that Ireland finally looked like scoring when O’Brien cut through the Italian defence to offload to Jonathan Sexton.

Sexton was bundled into touch just before the Italian line, but he didn’t come away empty handed. After an infringement from the home side, Sexton levelled the scores with a penalty of his own.

Play became scrappy for both sides and on the stroke of half time Bergamasco gave his side the lead by landing his second penalty.

As the second half got underway, Ireland emerged a different side and their intensity forced the Italians onto the back foot.

A series of good recycled ball from the Ireland forwards brought them ever closer to the Italian’s 22 and spotting a gap in their defence, Brian O’Driscoll cut inside to score the first try of the game, with Sexton adding the extras.

Ireland had ample more opportunities to take the game out of Italy’s reach but poor passes and knock ons halted any further progress.

With seven minutes left, Ireland were forced to defend hard after Denis Leamy was sin binned for an offside infringement.

It was then when the Italians began their comeback when Luke McClean stormed over Ireland’s try line with just five minutes left on the clock.

Luckily for Ireland, Bergamasco missed the conversion and Italy failed to win the crucial restart.

With just three minutes left and Italy with a one-point lead, O’Gara recreated his efforts of 2009 with an impressive drop goal, to snatch victory back from the home side.

Meanwhile, on Friday night’s opening match, Wales played host to England at the Millennium Stadium, where Northampton’s Chris Ashton ran in two tries to seal the win for his side.

France also played host to Scotland, bringing in a 34 – 21 victory despite the Scots staging a number of successful comebacks.

Labels: begin, Insideirelandie, Irelandaposs, Italy, Nations

BERLIN (AP)—Germany coach Joachim Loew plans to resist the urge to experiment and will start with his most experienced players in Dortmund friendly against Italy in Dortmund.

Five Borussia Dortmund players, including debutant Sven Bender, defender Mats Hummels and midfielder Mario Goetze, were called up for the friendly.

However, with early qualification for the 2012 European Championship a stated priority, Loew has indicated they may have to bide their time before as he seeks to build a settled team.

“A team which has already played together will take to the field,” Loew said Sunday.

The head coach is likely to have a full squad to choose from. Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira will travel despite concerns over a knee he injured in the team’s Spanish Cup win over Sevilla in midweek.

“Khedira shouldn’t be a problem for the game on Wednesday,” Loew said.

If the former Stuttgart player misses out, Bender could receive his debut in a defensive midfield role, especially as Loew has postponed a possible comeback for Michael Ballack until possibly after the games against Kazakhstan and Australia in March.

“I was surprised to be picked,” Bender said. “First of all I’m happy to be involved. There are so many good players here that you can learn more from them.”

Initially, Loew wants to observe the 21-year-old Dortmund ball-winner in training.

“I want to see him and test him for two or three days,” the coach said.

Marcel Schmelzer and Kevin Grosskreutz complete the Bundesliga leader’s quintet, and former Germany coach and player Franz Beckenbauer says it “logical” for them to play.

“The best should play in the national team, even if they’re young,” Beckenbauer said.

Loew has ruled out moving Schweinsteiger into a more attacking position, where he currently plays for Bayern Munich.

“In attack we have (Mesut) Oezil, (Toni) Kroos, Goetze, (Lewis) Holtby,” Loew said. “And Bastian in the (defensive) six-position gives us a lot of ball contact, stability and organization.

“Starting with the Italians is a very interesting game. I’m sure we will learn a lot.”

Labels: against, Experience, Germany, Italy, stick

BERLIN, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Germany captain Michael Ballack will have to wait for a return to the national side after Joachim Loew left the midfielder out of his squad for the friendly against Italy on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Ballack, who missed last year’s World Cup through injury, suffered another problem in September and only returned to action late last month.

“I am happy Michael is back after the two injuries,” Loew said on Friday. “He looks to be finding his rhythm. But we both know it will take some more time.”

Loew named five players from runaway league leaders Borussia Dortmund, including the uncapped 21-year-old midfielder Sven Bender.

“This is an opportunity to integrate new players,” said Loew, who has not ruled out a Ballack return and has kept him on as captain despite his long absence from the national team.

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen);

Defenders: Dennis Aogo (Hamburg SV), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich), Jerome Boateng (Manchester City), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Arne Friedrich (VfL Wolfsburg), Heiko Westermann (Hamburg SV), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund);

Midfielders: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid), Christian Traesch (VfB Stuttgart), Mario Goetze (Borussia Dortmund), Sven Bender (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund);

Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Cologne).

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Kevin Fylan. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Ballack, friendlyLoew, Germanys, Italy, ready, Reuters

From Australian football to rugby for Italy ... Kris Burton. Photo: Getty Images

AUSTRALIAN-born Italy five-eighth Kris Burton has set his sights on a place in the Azzurri World Cup squad for this year's tournament in New Zealand after forcing his way back into reckoning for the first team.

With fellow Australian Craig Gower on the treatment table, Burton earned a call-up to Italy's Six Nations squad for their first two games, against Ireland on Saturday and England next weekend.

With just four caps for Italy since switching allegiance seven years ago, Burton is determined not to let his goal slip through his fingers this time, four years after his hopes of representing the Azzurri in the 2007 World Cup in France were dashed. ''It's important to me because it's my objective,'' he said of the World Cup.

''My primary objective is to play well for my club, and only from there can you be selected for the national team. So for me, after missing out on the 2007 World Cup from being in the 40-man squad and dropping out a few weeks before, I've always had in my mind that I'd do everything I could to get to this World Cup.

''At the end of the day, I can only play as hard as I can. If I get selected, I get selected. It's not something I can say I'm going to be there, because other players can play better than you, you can't control that. I can only control how I'm playing, and hopefully I can be there.''

Burton's route to being on the verge of making his Six Nations debut for Italy has been a peculiar one. He played Australian football in Brisbane from four before taking up rugby nine years later.

''I've been kicking a football since I was four but it's a bit different to Italy where they kick a soccer ball around,'' he said. ''I played Aussie rules until I was 13, and actually played rugby union and AFL in the same year, one day training one and one day training the other.

''Then I chose to stay with union because I was at a private school so you had to pick one sport to play … It was the first time I'd played rugby union, and I thought I'd give it a go, and from there I got better.''

Burton qualified to play for Italy through his mother's antecedents, and decided to move to her homeland when he failed to make the grade at the Queensland Reds.

''I was originally with the Queensland squad but didn't get selected for the Super 12 the following year,'' he said. ''So my mother said, 'I have an Italian passport,' so I could go and play in Italy if I'd like to have another experience, playing a different type of rugby, the European game, so we decided to come to Italy.''

Now he is on the brink of making his Six Nations bow as Italy strive to improve on their previous showings. They have finished last in eight out of 11 participations.

AFP

Labels: Burton, Herald, hopes, Italy, Morning, Nations, passport, performance, Sydney

The Azzurri have been paired with Ireland in the group stages of the tournament in New Zealand.

And McLean believes a good start to the RBS Six Nations campaign would throw down a marker for the Italians.

"Everyone is just looking at it as one game and trying to get off to a good start in the Six Nations," he said.

"Obviously last year it didn't happen that way, we got off to a bad start, we didn't play well against Ireland and came out 20 points on the bad side (a 29-11 defeat).

"So obviously we will be trying to get on the good side and then we have the added aspect of them being in our World Cup pool and obviously it would be a bit of a confidence builder if we get the win here and go into the World Cup thinking: if we've beaten them once, we can beat them again."

Italy have named Kristopher Burton at fly-half for the clash, with Edoardo Gori getting the nod at scrum-half.

Sergio Parisse will skipper the side, with Italy naming a strong pack.

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll has backed Luke Fitzgerald to shine at full-back.

With Rob Kearney and Geordan Murphy both injured Fitzgerald has been forced into action at No.15.

And O'Driscoll believes his Leinster team-mate will have no problems adapting to the change of position.

"When Luke's really booming with confidence he's a very, very dangerous player," said O'Driscoll.

"Both as an attacking and strategic player, he can mix his game well at full-back.

"Like anyone who hasn't played a huge amount of rugby over the last couple of months, you just encourage him to do the simple things well and not try to do the amazing things.

"That will eventually come as the game unfolds, but early on it's about starting well and doing what he's done, both provincially and internationally.

"He knows himself what's expected of him and I don't envisage any issues.

"But he's certainly a pleasure to play with from an attacking point of view, because he has that innate ability to break tackles and offload.

"Whenever you can get a second touch, having given him a pass, it gives yourself an opportunity or it gives the rest of the team an opportunity to continue an attacking play."

Fergus McFadden will make his Ireland in Rome, with the Leinster centre set to start on the wing.

With Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris injured, Sean O'Brien and Denis Leamy come into the back row.

Paul O'Connell also returns to the international arena, with Rory Best and Mike Ross starting in the front row.

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Andrea Masi, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Kris Burton, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt), 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Santiago Dellape, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Carlo Del Fava, 19 Valerio Bernabo, 20 Paulo Canavosio, 21 Luciano Orquera, 22 Gonzalo Garcia.

Ireland: 15 Luke Fitzgerald, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (capt), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Sean O'Brien, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tom Court, 18 Leo Cullen, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Paddy Wallace.

Labels: Ireland, Italy, SkySports, Teams