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On June 26, on Monday, the quarterfinal match between Italy and Australia will take place. The Italians secured first place in Group E, surpassing Ghana and Czech Republic, while the Australians finished second in Group F, ahead of Brazil.
Quarterfinal: Italy - Australia Location: Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern Time: 18:00 Lithuania time Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain)
In the group stage, Italy performed well: they defeated Ghana 2-0, beat Czech Republic with the same score, and played a 1-1 draw against the USA. On the other hand, Australia did not have as successful first stage of the competition: after a 3-1 victory in the first round against Japan, they suffered a 0-2 loss to Brazil, and managed to secure a draw in the crucial match against Croatia, ensuring their spot in the quarterfinals.
The Italian footballers are considered favorites for this match, as their performance in the group stage showed that they are a formidable opponent for any team.
For Australia, reaching the top 16 teams in the world is a huge achievement. This is only the second time that representatives from the Land Down Under have participated in the World Cup - 32 years ago, Australia played one goalless draw, suffered two losses, and finished last in their group. So, their performance in this competition is already the best in their history.
Interesting fact: this will be the first-ever match between Italy and Australia.
Missing players
Both teams have their share of absences: Alessandro Nesta will not be able to play for Italy in this match, as he got injured in the game against Czech Republic. He will be replaced by Marco Materazzi in the starting lineup. Another Italian, Daniele De Rossi, is suspended for 4 matches and may only appear in the World Cup final.
For the Australian team, Brett Emerton, who received a red card in the previous match, will not be seen. He will be replaced by either Mark Milligan or Jason Culina. Goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac, who had a shaky performance against Croatia, will be substituted by Mark Schwarzer.
Before the match
Simone Perrotta, midfielder from the Italian team, praised Australia as a serious opponent and highlighted Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell from the Australians.
Gianluca Zambrotta emphasized the importance of mindset for the match and stated that they will have to give their all.
Lucas Neill, defender for Australia, said before the match: "We respect Italy, but we are not afraid of them, I'm sure they also respect us."
However, the Australian acknowledged that Italy is a very strong opponent, comparing the match to David and Goliath.
Predicted lineups
Italy: Gianluigi Buffon; Gianluca Zambrotta, Marco Materazzi, Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso; Simone Perrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Mauro Camoranesi; Francesco Totti; Alberto Gilardino.
Australia: Mark Schwarzer; Marco Bresciano, Lucas Neill, Craig Moore, Scott Chipperfield; Vince Grella, Jason Culina, Tim Cahill, Mile Sterjovski, Harry Kewell; Mark Viduka.
