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On June 12th, Monday, the World Cup battles will begin and the E group teams will start their fights. In the first match, three-time world champion Italy will clash swords with debutant Ghana. Ahead of these matches, warning the Italians, Ghana's coach Ratomiras Dujkovičius publicly stated that his proteges in this match aim only for victory. Therefore, we can expect a very fierce battle.
E group Italy - Ghana Venue: AWD Arena, Hanover Time: June 12, 22:00 Lithuania time
About the teams
Italy FIFA ranking: 13th place This World Cup is the 16th for the Italian team. Italy has won 3 out of the 15 played before. In the 1934 final, they beat Czechoslovakia 2-1. In 1938, Squadra Azzurra (the Italian national team) defended their title by defeating Hungary 4-2 in the final in Paris. In 1982, Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 and after a 44-year break, they took home the winner's trophy again. In 1994, despite a poor start, the team managed to reach the final but lost to Brazil. In 1998, after a penalty shootout, Italy stumbled in the quarterfinals against the French. In the last World Cup in 2002, the Italians were sent home due to poor refereeing, with two disallowed goals, causing them to return home after the round of 16.
Ghana FIFA ranking: 48th place This World Cup in Germany is the first in Ghana's history.
Head-to-head matches This will be the first clash between these two teams in history.
Qualification for the World Cup Italy: 1st place in the group. 10 matches, 7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 23 points. Italy entered a fairly weak group, so the poor performance in the early stages of the competition surprised many. A loss to Slovenia by a score of 0-1 was particularly unexpected.
Ghana: 1st place in the group. 10 matches, 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss. 21 points. Ghana entered a group of moderate strength but breezed through it quite easily. Despite South Africa finishing second, Ghana topped the group by 5 points.
Friendly matches Italy: played 3 matches before the World Cup. Won one (against Germany 4-1), drew two (1-1 with Switzerland and 0-0 with Ukraine).
Ghana: played 4 friendly matches. Lost 0-1 to Mexico, drew 1-1 with Turkey, and won 4-1 and 3-1 against Jamaica and South Korea, respectively.
Coaches' opinions Italy Marcello Lippi announced that in the first World Cup match against Ghana, his players will sacrifice points in the name of Italian football style. Italy is one of the most experienced teams in the tournament and has not lost the last 18 matches played. For this reason, the Italian coach stated that his team must win this match.
"Our results undoubtedly allow us to win." – said Lippi.
"Starting the Championship well is essential, but we should be concerned. The Ghana team has many talented and good players, however, no matter what, I still believe in my team."
Italy has never lost to any African team so far. According to Lippi, this should be another boost for the team.
"The first matches determine how we prepare for the second ones, and the second ones for the third ones." – said the Italian coach.
"We are tense, but at the same time excited. We are probably playing one of the most important tournaments in our entire life. In this case, getting nervous is normal." – emphasized M.Lippi.
Meanwhile, Ghana's coach Ratomiras Dujkovičius stated that neither he nor his players are afraid of the Italian national team. He also added that they already have a player plan for tomorrow's match.
"Most of my players represent the strongest European clubs for five years or more. We have no reason to worry about this match." – said R.Dujkovičius.
"Marcello Lippi is one of the best coaches in the world. I respect him. In any case, no matter how strong the Italian attacking line is, it will still be strong." – added the Ghanaian coach.
Injuries Italy: In the first match of the championship, we will definitely not see defender Gianluca Zambrotta or goalkeeper Gennaro Gattuso on the field. Both are injured.
Ghana: There are no injuries. All players are ready to take to the field.
Predicted starting line-ups Italy: Buffon; Zaccardo, Nesta, Cannavaro, Grosso; Camoranesi, Pirlo, De Rossi; Totti; Toni, Gilardino.
There have been a lot of discussions about A. Del Piero replacing Francesco Totti. Although Totti said he will probably only be able to give 70%, it is nearly certain that M.Lippi will choose him over these two players.
Tactics: 4-3-1-2
Ghana: Adjei; Paintsil, Kuffour, Mensah, Pappoe; Muntari, Essien, Appiah, Addo; Gyan, Amoah.
Tactics: 4-4-2
