Group F contenders
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Route to the finals
The World Champions went unbeaten during qualification for South Africa 2010, winning seven and drawing three.

With nearest rivals Republic of Ireland winning four and drawing six, it meant the Azzurri finished six points clear at the top of Group 8.

The Irish, however, pushed hard and it wasn’t until Italy managed to secure a 2-2 draw in Dublin in their penultimate Qualifier that their opportunity to defend their crown was confirmed.

Manager
Marcello Lippi was Italy’s hero four years ago as he led the Azzurri to victory in the 2006 World Cup.

It was the country’s first victory in the tournament for 24 years and considering the controversy surrounding the Italians during that time – allegations of match fixing in Serie A had surfaced – it proved an even more satisfying victory for Lippi.

The 62-year-old chose not to renew his contract after the ’06 tournament and handed the baton to Roberto Donadoni.

A quarter-final finish at Euro 2008, however, saw Donadoni fired and Lippi was convinced to come back to lead the team once more.

He will now be hoping to replicate the feat of compatriot Vittorio Pozzo, who led Italy to back-to-back World Cup wins in ’34 and ’38.

Player watch
The Italians remain one of the most defensively shrewd teams in the world. Their ability to stifle and control teams from the back is legendary and their 2006 World Cup winning team was no different.

However, several of the players who were part of that defensive rock are now on the wrong side of 30 or not included in the squad at all. Captain Fabio Cannavaro, 36, Gianluca Zambrotta, 33, are still in Lippi's plans, while Fabio Grosso, 32, and Marco Materazzi, 36, have not made the cut this year and it will be interesting to see how the team is affected as a result.

In midfield, Milan playmaker Andrea Pirlo will again look to pull the strings, but it could be upfront – where they lack a star name striker – that they could be left wanting. 

Competition History
First appearance: 1934
No. of appearances: 17
Best result: Winners (1934, 1938, 1982 & 2006)
Matches against England: 22

Squad

Goalkeepers
1	Gianluigi Buffon	Juventus, ITA
12	Federico Marchetti	Cagliari, ITA
14	Morgan De Sanctis	Napoli, ITA
Defenders
2	Christian Maggio	Napoli, ITA
3	Domenico Criscito	Genoa, ITA
4	Giorgio Chiellini	Juventus, ITA
5	Fabio Cannavaro	Juventus, ITA
13	Salvatore Bocchetti	Genoa, ITA
19	Gianluca Zambrotta	AC Milan, ITA
23	Leonardo Bonucci	Bari, ITA
Midfielders
6	Daniele De Rossi	AS Roma, ITA
7	Simone Pepe	Udinese, ITA
8	Gennaro Gattuso	AC Milan, ITA
15	Claudio Marchisio	Juventus, ITA
16	Mauro Camoranesi	Juventus, ITA
17	Angelo Palombo	Sampdoria, ITA
21	Andrea Pirlo	AC Milan, ITA
22	Riccardo Montolivo	Fiorentina, ITA
Forwards
9	Vincenzo Iaquinta	Juventus, ITA
10	Antonio Di Natale	Udinese, ITA
11	Alberto Gilardino	Fiorentina, ITA
18	Fabio Quagliarella	Napoli, ITA
20	Giampaolo Pazzini	Sampdoria, ITA