Italy To Be Skippered By Del Piero

Thursday, June 12, 2008 -- Beleaguered Italian national team coach Roberto Donadoni is set to name veteran striker Alessandrao del Piero as captain against Romania in make-or-break clash in Group C on Saturday. The Juventus striker was left on the bench in Monday's titan clash with the Netherlands which the reigning world champions lost 3-0.

Del Piero was only a second half substitute in that match but his arrival after 60 minutes did manage to seep some spark into the Italy side. Donadoni was severely critized in the wake of that thrashing and he now appears to go with popular choice.

Del Piero is the most capped played in the Italian squad at the moment and as the Italian tradition is, he shall be handed the captain's armband. In the last match, he didn't start and so the second most capped Italian international player, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, was made the captain.

Roberto Donadoni is also set to include the AS Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi in his starting line-up against Romania, who held France to a 0-0 draw in the last match.