France, Italy to clash again in Euro 2008 qualifiers
06 September, 2006
HAMBURG: World champions Italy travel to Paris for another meeting with France less than two months after their victory on penalties over Les Bleus in the World Cup final in Berlin.
The Group B match is the pick of the 21 qualifying games for the 2008 European Championships.
France, still reeling from their World Cup defeat in which midfielder Zinedine Zidane was sent off, are out for revenge against an Italian side who have yet to get into their stride.
On Saturday, Italy were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lithuania and, with the Italian season yet to start, many of the Italian players are lacking match practice.
France meanwhile won 3-0 Saturday over Georgia and go into the game full of confidence.
Despite the draw, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni said he would not be making changes.
Asked about possible defeat in the Stade de France, he remarked: "If that happens, I will answer after the match. But I could turn the question round and ask myself: what if we came back with four points? It’s great to play our World Cup final opponents again.
"Meeting them after Berlin is beautiful. France are technically and physically strong, and in midfield and up front they have some killer players.
"I do not know if (their seeking revenge) will be an added difficulty. My boys too want to show they deserved the world title."
With most of his men seeking their best form after the summer break, Donadoni is likely to call back Gianluca Zambrotta to beef up an unusually shaky defence missing the injured Alessandro Nesta and Marco Materazzi, still suspended for the insults that in the final triggered his head-butting from Zidane.
France coach Raymond Domenech, who has called up Girondins Bordeaux midfielder Julien Faubert to replace the injured David Trezeguet, played down the idea of revenge.
"The World Cup is over," he said. "It was a big disappointment for us, but we must look ahead."
England meanwhile travel to Macedonia for a Group E encounter in Skopje buoyed by a 5-0 win over Andorra, which had followed a 4-0 drubbing of Greece in a friendly.
However, Steve McClaren acknowledged Macedonia would be the first "real test" of his reign as England manager. The two sides drew 2-2 in Southampton four years ago in a Euro 2004 qualifier.
McClaren, who replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson after a disappointing World Cup campaign, said: "We’ve got a bit of momentum. There’s a spirit there, which was needed after the disappointment of the summer.
"What I like after two games is the sense that we’re building a squad. But Macedonia are a good side. They move the ball well, they’re compact and well organised."
Also in the group, Russia and Croatia begin their qualifying campaigns in Moscow, the Croatians reeling from a nightclub incident, which led to the suspension of three players.
Coach Slaven Bilic suspended attacking trio Darijo Srna, Ivica Olic and Bosko Balaban, after they reportedly left the squad’s training base to visit a Zagreb nightclub.
Germany, who began their Euro 2008 campaign solidly with a hard-earned 1-0 win over Ireland, should have an easier time in San Marino.
Coach Joachim Loew takes the same 19-man squad to San Marino, buoyed by the fact that a makeshift defence stood up well against the Irish. Mainz defender Manuel Friedrich, who played well in his first full game for the national side, is being treated for an ankle injury. He is expected to be fit.
Dutch coach Marco van Basten is looking for an improved performance from his side against visiting Belarus after a narrow 1-0 win over Luxembourg in Group G.
"It was too poor to talk about details, really nothing worked out," van Basten said of the performance Saturday.
"These players all proved in the recent past they can play football but didn’t show that."
Van Basten has made three changes to his squad, with defenders Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Khalid Boulahrouz coming in following suspension, and Ajax midfielder Wesley Sneijder, allowed time off for personal reasons, also returning.
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