Italy have been notoriously slow starters at major tournaments but they qualified for the finals with ease and I can’t resist the odds against about them beginning with a win against Paraguay.
The Azzurri, we must not forget, travel to South Africa as defending champions and their price, given their soft draw, is probably too big. No other nation knows how to get the job done when it matters quite like the Italians and they still have plenty of quality in all departments.
While captain Fabio Cannavaro now has a new partner in Giorgio Chiellini at the back, Gianluigi Buffon, unquestionably the world’s best stopper, provides a first-rate last line of defence in goal and it will once again be hard to break down Marcello Lippi’s side.
Italy have always been difficult to beat but this team seems to finally also possess several in-form strikers and it is Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale that is tipped to partner Alberto Gilardino in attack.
Much has been made of Inter Milan’s lack of Italian representation in their Champions League winning team but this set of players still has what it takes to go a long way in the tournament and I’d be surprised if anything less than a place in at least the quarter-finals was achieved.
Rustenburg plays hosts to their opening Group F encounter with Paraguay and while the South Americans should not be taken lightly, I’m sure they won’t be by Lippi and his staff, their individual talent is not in the same league as their opponents.
Paraguay eased to a place in the finals thanks to a third place finish behind Brazil and Chile in qualifying but I get the impression that their style of football will play perfectly into the hands of their wily opponents and a low-scoring win to nil for the heroes of four years ago beckons.
In Lucas Barrios, Oscar Cardozo and Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguay have a trio of strikers with the ability to cause any side problems but it is the limited options in midfield that will be troubling manager Gerardo Martino and I expect Italy to nullify any threat fairly comfortably.
It remains to be seen just how Group F, and the remainder tournament for that matter, unfolds but the 2.05 available with Blue Square in a week or so could turn out to look very generous indeed and Italy will want to secure top spot with Holland the likely second round opponents for the runners-up of this section.
2pts Back Italy (vs. Paraguay) @ 2.05 (Blue Square)