Italy v Paraguay Live

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World champions Italy begin the defence of their crown this week when they take on Paraguay in Group F at the Cape Town Stadium. Sign up today with Ole Ole Football and see Italy vs Paraguay live on your computer.

The Azzurri warmed up for the tournament by thrashing the Gauteng All Stars 6-0 in an exhibition match. Giampaolo Pazzini and Simone Pepe both netted braces, while Vincenzo Iaquinta and Antonio Di Natale also got on the score sheet. Coach Marcelo Lippi has switched to a 4-3-3 formation after seeing his 4-2-3-1 backfire against the Mexican national team in a recent friendly. Against the All Stars, Lippi picked a strong lineup and said that he knew seven of his eleven starters for Italy’s tournament opener against Paraguay.

Milan playmaker Andrea Pirlo is definitely out of this clash while Roma’s Daniele de Rossi, who was rested against the All Stars, is also an injury doubt. Should de Rossi fail to recover from his injury, Lippi could play Riccardo Montolivo and Claudio Marchisio alongside Gennaro Gattuso in a three man midfield. Another option is Angelo Palembo, who made brief appearances against both Mexico and Switzerland. Upfront, only Alberto Gilardino seems certain of his place, with the likes of Antonio di Natale, Simone Pepe, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Fabio Quaglirella fighting for the other spots.

Paraguay played four friendlies in the lead up to the World Cup. They beat North Korea and Greece, drew with Ivory Coast and lost to Ireland. La Albirroja finished third in South American qualifying behind Brazil and Chile. While Paraguay have traditionally been solid at the back, they also have attacking firepower. Leading the line is Manchester City’s Roque Santa Cruz, with the likes of Salvador Cabanas, Nelson Haedo Valdez, Edgar Benitez and Rodolfo Gamarra available for support. Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo is an injury doubt for the Italy clash.

Paraguay reached the second round of the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but were unable to go past the first round at the last World Cup in Germany. This time, they’ll fancy their chances as the other teams in their group are Slovakia and New Zealand, who do not have as much experience of playing at the big stage as the Paraguayans.

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