For the first time in the history of the World Cup, the defending champions have to qualify for the global showpiece. Thus Italy begin their World Cup qualifying for South Africa 2010 on Saturday with the first of many group games to decide qualifying nations. The away match will be Marcello Lippi’s first official game back in charge of the Azzurri since the 2006 World Cup, a fond time for all those that support La Nazionale.

The Azzurri begin the defence of their World Cup trophy with they travel to Cyprus this Saturday for their opening 2010 World Cup qualifier. Italy will then host Georgia four days later. The Italians should find it easy to push past a Cypriot team that many see as the whipping boys of the group. Europe is a footballing temple however, and even the smallest nation should not be taken lightly. Still, the Azzurri should record a win on Saturday evening, starting their campaign in confident fashion, to motivate the country into supporting them onto their defense of the Cup in 2010.

Geogia have in recent times often found themselves in a qualifying group with Italy, be it in Euro or World Cup qualifying. The Georgians are a tough hard working bunch of players, with  talent and skill that often causes problems for their opponents. Though Italy’s record against them has been very good over the past decade, it is important for the Azzurri not to misjudge the team, attacking from the start and giving their all on the pitch.

Italy find themselves promoted back to second place in the FIFA World Rankings, behind only the Spanish Euro 2008 champions. The upcoming matches will give the Azzurri a chance to catch up on Spain in the rankings, and stake their claim at the top as current World Champions.

Peter Pedroncelli – footballitaliano.org