Categories
Soccer

2010 World Cup Team Previews: Italy

Matt Martz weighs in with his 2010 World Cup insider betting guide and World Cup 2010 Preview for Italy. We will also have game by game Free World Cup soccer predictions and more.

World Cup 2010 Team Spotlight – Italy

Capperspicks.com is previewing The Teams For World Cup 2010 in South Africa – Venues, History, and more. If you’re Looking To gamble On The 2010 World Cup here is your insider betting guide and World Cup 2010 Preview. We will also have game by game Free World Cup soccer predictions and more.

The WORLD CUP FINALS had their final draw on Dec 4th, 2009. 32 teams were picked out of their respective pots and we now know the matchups for World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Need predictions for Italy ?

From the Coach

Analysis from the coach: “No team is superior to Italy. I don’t want to say that we’re better than everyone, but you might say that we’re not inferior to any other team,” Italy coach Marcello Lippi

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP 2010 PREVIEW INDEX GUIDE —–>

Making their 16th appearance, the reigning Germany 2006 Champions head to South Africa bidding to tie Brazil for the most World Cup titles with five.

Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia

FIFA Ranking: 5
Italy Odds to win World Cup: +1200

Matchups:
June 14 vs. Paraguay
June 20 vs. New Zealand
June 24 vs. Slovakia

CLICK HERE TO GRAB LIVE 2010 Team Italy betting odds? —–>

The Azzurri have made it past the first round every World Cup it has been in since 1974, but with an aging squad and poor outings at the Euro 2008 and the Confederations Cup 2009, few experts actually see Italy as serious contenders for this year’s trophy.

Boss Marcelo Lippi’s incredible resume in world football speaks for itself. He has a landmark 31 consecutive international matches without a defeat. Lippi was Italy’s cpach from 2004 to 2006 and led Italy to win the 2006 World Cup. He was re-appointed as Italian head coach in the summer of 2008.

The 61-year-old is not shy about using all of the players at his disposal to win matches, as shown during the qualifiers when he called up a total of 36 players to get the job done.

Since Lippi took charge, he has attempted to add several young players to the squad in order to provide balance to a side that has been ravaged by age and a number of key players who have exited over the last few years. Bet on Soccer at Sportsbook.com

Despite his efforts, the squad is still made up from a core of players in their early to mid 30’s and is led by 31-year old world-class goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, a pillar of the Italian defense.

He will be aided by wily veterans Gennaro Gattuso, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni as well as captain — defender Fabio Cannavaro. The 36-yer old 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year has 130 caps and brings his side the much-needed experience of winning on the world stage.

The squad is rounded out with Gianluca Zambrotta, midfielder Andrea Pirlo and forward Alberto Gilardino, as well as few youngsters like Giueseppe Rossi and Sebastian Giovinco, who are likely to see their share of playing time given Lippi’s willingness to play the entire bench.

The Azzurri came through qualifying with little problem in a group that included Ireland and Bulgaria. They finished with seven wins and three draws, scoring 18 goals and conceding seven.

They started their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Cyprus, and sealed the chance to defend their world title in South Africa in dramatic fashion, equalizing in the last minute in Ireland to snatch a 2-2 draw and top spot in Group 8.

Italy can take heart of the fact that they are 3-0 against their group in recent meetings and have outscored them 10-4 as well.

However, should they finish top of their group as expected, the Italians are likely to face Denmark in round two–if they managed to overcome the unpredictable Cameroon side.

If this happens, I expect Denmark to put the Italians out of their misery in round two and mark an end of an era for some of Italy’s greats.

SPORTSBOOK.COM SOCCER BETTING PROMOS: eWallet 5% Reload Bonus, $100 Deposit Bonus, Reduced Juice Fridays, the best Soccer Parlay Cards On The Planet, + IN-Running Lines – Bet Now Click here!


Matt Martz is a sportswriter for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. “ Football (soccer) is a game in which a handful of fit men run around for one and a half hours watched by millions of people who could really use the exercise.”

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"

2 replies on “2010 World Cup Team Previews: Italy”

ROSTER UPDATE as of May 11 –Francesco Totti, Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli and Luca Toniall did not make Lippi’s preliminary roster.

Comments are closed.