Defending Champions take on All Whites: Preview

Nelspruit: Defending champions after their ordinary outing in their first match against Paraguay will take on New Zealand in their Group F encounter at Nelspruit.

The second most successful side after Brazil, the Azzurris side will be looking to get a handsome win against New Zealand who are making their World Cup appearance for the second time.
Italians are known to be slow starters but they were rather disappointing in the first half during their match against Paraguay and went 1-0 down. However, they did manage to regain their composure in the second half and claim a deserved 1-1 draw. Gianluigi Buffon won't be playing against the All Whites as he is injured.

Italians may look clear favorites on paper but the All Whites can't be counted out especially after they managed to make a late come back in their match against Slovakia in the opening game. The teams clash into this match with one point each. In their previous meeting against the Azzurris in June 2009 in South Africa, the All Whites managed to score 3 goals past the Italian defense which is considered to be the best. The Azzurris eventually won that match 4-3 but that will be remembered by the Italian players going into the match.


Players to watch out for:

Italy: Alberto Gilardino, Daniele de rossi

New Zealand: Chris Killen, Ryan Nelsen

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