Italy: The Defending Champion

We all know that Italy is the defending champion in 2010 World Cup. They are now competing in Group F against three other strong teams for a spot at the Round of 16. Will Italy defend their title at this year’s World Cup, or will they suffer the same fate as France at the 2006 World Cup?

The Italian squad is pretty strong naturally. Gianluigi Buffon is showing superb performances throughout the qualification rounds, with opponents scoring 7 goals only against Buffon’s goalkeeping. The defense line is nothing to be taken lightly, especially since players such as Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta defending their fields.

The attacking squadron is very sharp, with 22 years old Giuseppe Rossi teaming up with experienced veteran Antonio Di Natale. Marcello Lippi took Italy to 2006 World Cup Champion title, and he will surely have a lot of surprises up his sleeves for this year’s competition. Let’s not forget that Italy also has working midfielders that can ruin opponents’ defense line effectively.

Other teams such as England and Brazil are not in the same group as Italy, but the encounters between these strong teams are unavoidable. In Group F, Italy is up against Slovakia, Paraguay, and New Zealand. The team’s first match in the 2010 World Cup playoff would be against Paraguay; be sure you watch the team’s opening match at Cape Town Stadium on June 14th, 2010. Although Italy is not favored by bookmakers, the team has a lot of potentials and will cause problems for its opponents.