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Back Italy @
9/1 to win the
World Cup.....10/11
to win
Group E......
bet with
BLUESQUARE
Back Ghana @
250/1 to win the
World Cup.....8/1
to win
Group E......
bet with
BLUESQUARE
Italy kept nine
players from their 2002 squad, including Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro
Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero plus
new boys Alberto Gilardino and Luca Toni in attack. Fullback Gianluca
Zambrotta and midfielder Gennaro Gattuso have been ruled out with thigh
injuries. Central defender Alessandro Nesta is struggling with a
recurrence of a muscle injury and rated a doubt. Striker Francesco Totti
should start after recovered from an injury but may be lacking in
fitness.
Ghana's Serbian
coach Ratomir Dujkovic has experience in Fenerbahce midfielder Stephen
Appiah, Roma
defender Samuel Kuffour,
Udinese midfielder
Sulley Muntari, young Modena striker Asamoah Gyan
as well as Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, and are good enough to
give their more fancied opponents a run for their money. Ghana are
making their FIFA World Cup finals debut despite numerous success at the
youth level.
3-time world champions in
1934, 1938 and 1982,
Italy take on African prospects, Ghana when they kick-start the first
match in Group E. They were unlucky to go out in the second round of the
last edition after losing 2-1 to
co-hosts South Korea after extra time. This time they have
strengthened their strike department and looked good value to go all the
way. 4-times African champions Ghana are well known to many outside
Africa especially in the
youth level but yet to shine at the senior level and are competing in
their first World Cup after 11 previous attempts at qualifying. This will be their
best chance
to show the world what they are capable for. Their fellow African
counterparts, Ivory Coast as well as Angola made much fancied Argentina
and Portugal respectively worked hard for the points and there is no
reason why they could not push the Italians
all the way. Get the + 1 ball handicap if you still can lay your hands
on.
Italy :
coach Marcello Lippi
Goalkeepers:
1 BUFFON Gianluigi(Juventus,
ITA), 12 PERUZZI Angelo(Lazio,
ITA), 14 AMELIA Marco(Livorno,
ITA)
Defenders: 2 ZACCARDO Cristian(Palermo,
ITA), 3 GROSSO Fabio(Palermo,
ITA), 5 CANNAVARO
Fabio(Juventus,
ITA), 6 BARZAGLI Andrea(Palermo,
ITA), 13 NESTA Alessandro(AC
Milan, ITA), 19 ZAMBROTTA Gianluca(Juventus,
ITA), 22
ODDO Massimo(Lazio,
ITA), 23 MATERAZZI Marco(Inter,
ITA)
Midfielders: 4 DE ROSSI Daniele(AS
Rome, ITA), 8 GATTUSO Gennaro(AC
Milan, ITA, 10 TOTTI
Francesco(AS
Rome, ITA), 16 CAMORANESI Mauro(Juventus,
ITA), 17 BARONE Simone(Palermo,
ITA), 20 PERROTTA Simone(AS
Rome, ITA), 21 PIRLO Andrea(AC
Milan, ITA)
Forwards: 7 DEL PIERO Alessandro(Juventus,
ITA), 9 TONI Luca(Fiorentina,
ITA), 11 GILARDINO
Alberto(AC
Milan, ITA), 15 IAQUINTA Vincenzo(Udinese,
ITA), 18 INZAGHI Filippo(AC
Milan, ITA)
Ghana :
coach Ratomir Dujkovic (Serbian)
Goalkeepers:
1 ADJEI Sammy(Ashdod,
ISR), 16 OWU George(AshantiGold,
GHA), 22 KINGSTON Richard(Ankaraspor,
TUR)
Defenders: 2 SARPEI Hans(Wolfsburg,
GER), 4 KUFFOUR Samuel(AS
Rome, ITA), 5 MENSAH John(Rennes,
FRA), 6 PAPPOE Emmanuel(Hapoel
Kfar Saba, ISR), 7 SHILLA Illiasu(Asante
Kotoko, GHA), 13 MOHAMED Habib(King
Faisal, GHA), 15 PANTSIL John(Hapoel
Tel-Aviv, ISR), 17 QUAYE Daniel(Hearts,
GHA), 21 AHMED Issah(Randers
FC, DEN)
Midfielders: 8 ESSIEN Michael(Chelsea,
ENG), 9 BOATENG Derek(AIK
Solna, SWE), 10 APPIAH
Stephen(Fenerbahce,
TUR), 11 MUNTARI Sulley(Udinese,
ITA), 18 ADDO Eric(PSV
Eindhoven, NED), 20 ADDO Ott(Mainz
05, GER)o, 23 DRAMANI
Haminu(Crvena
Zvezda, SCG)
Forwards: 3 GYAN Asamoah(Modena,
ITA), 12 TACHIE-MENSAH Alex,(St
Gall, SUI) 14 AMOAH
Matthew(Borussia
Dortmund, GER), 19 PIMPONG Razak(Copenhagen,
DEN)
Probable lineups:
Italy (4-3-1-2)
1-Gianluigi Buffon (60-0); 22-Massimo Oddo (20-0), 13-Alessandro Nesta
(74-0), 5-Fabio Cannavaro (93-1), 3-Fabio Grosso (17-1); 16-Mauro
Camoranesi (21-1), 21-Andrea Pirlo (24-4), Simone Perrotta (24-1);
10-Francesco Totti (51-8); 9-Luca Toni (18-7), 11-Alberto Gilardino
(15-7).
Ghana (4-4-2)
1-Sammy Adjei (31-0);
15-John Paintsil (21-0), 4-Samuel Kuffour (58-3), 5-John Mensah (33-0),
6-Emmanuel Pappoe (27-0); 11-Sulley Muntari (16-5); 8-Michael Essien
(17-4), 10-Stephen Appiah (17-4), 18-Eric Addo (6-0); 3-Asamoah Gyan
(13-8); Matthew Amoah (16-7)
Referee:
SIMON Carlos
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