L uis Suárez and Uruguay are feeling bullish after their defeat of England while Mario Balotelli and Italy are struggling to recover after a draining loss to Costa Rica. Two teams in completely different states – mentally and physically – meet on Tuesday and only one of them will advance to the second round of the World Cup. “I’m enjoying this moment,” Suárez said after scoring both goals in the 2-1 win over England. However, Italy hold the edge in terms of the result because of their better goal difference. If the Azzurri win or draw they go through, while Uruguay must win to reach the last 16. “We have only one necessity now,” the Italy coach, Cesare Prandelli, said. “We must regain our energy. With this match either you’re in or you’re out and I’m hoping to see an Italy with a different approach.” That was why Prandelli put an emphasis on sprinting in training on Sunday, instructing his players to arrive in the area at pace before attempting shots at goal. The match at the Estádio das Dunas in Natal – named after the coastal city’s huge sand dunes – will start at 1pm local time, meaning that heat could be an issue again. Prandelli is also tinkering with potential formation and lineup changes. He faces widespread calls to play Ciro Immobile alongside Mario Balotelli in attack. Immobile led Serie A with 22 goals – none of them penalties – for Torino before signing for Borussia Dortmund only days before departing for Brazil. But his only appearance so far in this tournament was in the final 17 minutes of the 2-1 win over England. And with the defensive midfielder Daniele De Rossi almost certainly ruled out with an injured calf muscle, Prandelli will probably switch from a four-man defence to the three-man formation employed by the scudetto winners, Juventus. Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli – who all play for the Turin club – would fill those places. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti is set to return in midfield and the left wing-back Mattia De Sciglio is ready to play after missing the opening two matches because of a thigh injury. The Italy captain, Gianluigi Buffon, appeared slightly cautious. “This is the 10th tournament I’m playing with Italy and in 10 tournaments only once, in last year’s Confederations Cup, were we already qualified by the third match,” he said. “But we have to carry the Costa Rica loss as baggage and that could make it seem tougher.” Uruguay are a familiar opponent for Italy. The Azzurri beat the South American side in a penalty shootout in the third-place match of last year’s Confederations Cup. Buffon saved three penalties in the shootout, which followed an entertaining 2-2 draw in which Edinson Cavani scored both goals for Uruguay. However, Italy are just as familiar for Uruguay. Their wing-back Martín Cáceres plays for Juventus, the midfielder Walter Gargano is with Parma, the left-back Álvaro Pereira, on loan at São Paulo, is owned by Internazionale and Cavani spent seven seasons in Serie A before joining PSG a year ago. “I don’t expect Italy to put 10 men behind the ball, as that is not their style,” Cáceres said. “And that suits us, because Suárez and Cavani become deadly with a little space. We’ll play on the counterattack. “Italy’s loss to Costa Rica surprised us,” he added. “It would have been better for us if the Azzurri had won. That way a draw would be enough for both teams.” Now, though, as Prandelli says, it’s “in or out”.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 07:15:20 +0000
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