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At the Dragao Stadium, at 21:45, in the main matches of Group C, the Italy and Sweden eleven will meet. The match will be officiated by a referee brigade from Switzerland, with Urs Meier as the field referee.
After a disappointing start in the first match against Denmark, this time Italians will need to perform better, or the championship may end after the group stage. But it will be very difficult to earn three points, as based on the first match, where the Swedes crushed Bulgaria with a score of 5-0, it can be assumed that they are in really good form.
Among the many problems faced by Italy's coach Giovanni Trapattoni, another one was added. Frančeskas Tottis, one of the team leaders, was disqualified for three matches for hitting the Danish player Christian Poulsen in the face. The latter played a leadership role in the team, so it will not be easy for the Italians to cope with the loss of the player.
On the other hand, this opens up opportunities for the substitute players, who are certainly not bad and should not spoil the game - as they proved in the first match. That's why the coach will most likely make at least a couple of changes in the team's starting lineup. However, Trapattoni has not yet revealed what these changes will be, saying that he has an idea in mind, but still needs to talk to his players. The defense line will most likely remain the same, but there should be new faces in the disappointed midfield.
Trapattoni is considering two possibilities to change the tactic: first one is the 4-3-1-2 system, where Gennaro Gattuso and would play as defensive midfielders, would be pushed forward, and would join in attack. Meanwhile, if the coach chooses the 4-4-2 system, Cassano might not have a place there, and would play on the right side.
Meanwhile, the Swedish coaches Tommis Soderberg and Lars Lagerback would probably not make any changes to their starting eleven after a crushing victory, but the wing defender Teddy Lucic got injured. His place will probably be taken by Mikael Nilsson, and on the right flank in the defensive line Christian Wilhelmsson will play.
Predicted starting lineups: Italy (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Panucci, Cannavaro, Nesta, Zambrotta; Gattuso, Pirlo, Zanetti; Cassano; Del Piero, Vieri. Sweden (4-4-2): Isaksson; Nilsson, Edman, Mellberg, Jakobsson; Wilhelmsson, Linderoth, Svensson, Ljungberg; Ibrahimovic, Larsson. Guess the match results in the bookmaker's odds!
