Competition: FIFA World Cup 2010
Venue: Nelspruit
Date: Sunday, 20 June 2010
Kick-off: 1500 BST
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MATCH PREVIEW
The World Cup has already produced surprise defeats for Spain, France and Germany - could defending champions Italy be the next heavyweight to hit the canvas? The Azzurri were unimpressive in their draw against Paraguay on Monday, when they only avoided defeat thanks to an error from Paraguayan goalkeeper Justo Villar.
In contrast, Group F outsiders New Zealand will be on a high after Winston Reid's injury-time equaliser against Slovakia gave the All Whites their first-ever World Cup point.
To make matters worse for Italy they lost goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to injury, with a herniated disc in his back forcing him off at half-time. The Juventus star has won 102 caps - his replacement, Cagliari's Federico Marchetti, has played just six times for the Azzurri and only made his Serie A debut two years ago. His only previous competitive start was Italy's final qualifier against Cyprus, when nothing was at stake.
Marchetti replaced Marco Amelia as Buffon's understudy last year following Amelia's disastrous display in the 4-3 win against New Zealand. The All Whites led three times in the friendly match, staged in Pretoria as a warm-up for the Confederations Cup. The Kiwis constantly troubled Italy with long balls and set pieces, and coach Ricki Herbert will ask for more of the same in Nelspruit.
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