ITALY V MONTENEGRO:SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS loom large as Italy prepare to host Montenegro in their Group Eight qualifier in Lecce tonight, writes Paddy Agnew
The world champions drew 0-0 with Bulgaria in Sofia last Saturday but that game was marred by the violent behaviour of a small number of hard-line, right-wing Italian fans, calling themselves "Ultrà Azzurri".
Italian police and Football Federation officials are worried that the extensive publicity afforded to the behaviour of the "ultra" on Saturday will attract like-minded fans to Lecce tonight. Last Saturday, the "ultra" chanted fascist slogans, gave the fascist straight arm salute and burned the Bulgarian flag during the playing of the Bulgarian national anthem.
Police are also worried that tonight's match may become the platform for clashes between fans from Serie A side Lecce and nearby Serie B club Bari, two sides that have a long, traditional rivalry.
Given that fewer than 500 Montenegrin fans are expected to attend, the authorities do not predict problems with the away fans who will, of course, be restricted to one small section of Lecce's Via del Mare ground.
On the football front, Italian coach Marcello Lippi was making positive noises yesterday, saying that Gennaro Gattuso, Giuseppe Rossi and Daniele De Rossi, who all picked up knocks against Bulgaria, should be fit enough to play tonight: "All my players look as if they can play . . . We've got to go out and win this game, so as to put a good gloss on the Bulgarian match. Otherwise, these become two very negative results. If Italy really wants to win, then it wins. We've got to do a bit more in attack but we'll be watching out for their good players, guys like Vucinic and Jovetic"
Lippi is expected to make only two changes from the team that started against Bulgaria, with Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi coming on in place of Antonio Di Natale and with experienced midfielder Simone Perrotta replacing Riccardo Montolivo.
Both Rossi and Perrotta came on as second-half substitutes against Bulgaria. Rossi's chances are enhanced by the fact that experienced centre forward Luca Toni, of Bayern Munich, is suspended for tonight's game.
Lippi himself stands on the brink of making a little history tonight. If Italy do not lose to Montenegro, then Lippi will extend his unbeaten run as Italian coach to 30 games, equalling the record of Vittorio Pozzo, the coach who led Italy to World Cup success in 1934 and 1938.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
ITALY (4-3-3):Amelia; Zambrotta, Chiellini, Cannavaro, Dossena; Gattuso, De Rossi, Perrotta; Pepe, Gilardino, Rossi.
MONTENEGRO:Poleksic; Pavicevic, Batak, Tanasijevic, Javanovic; Drinic, Pekovic, Zverotic, Jovetic; Bozovic, Vucinic.
