Prandelli: Italy not scared of Serbia trip
Reuters - Monday 03 October 2011, 14:37
Italy are not scared of the feverish
atmosphere they could encounter in Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier
against Serbia in Belgrade, coach Cesare Prandelli said on
Monday.
Italy's home qualifier between the sides a year ago was
abandoned early on after Serbian fans threw flares on to the
Genoa pitch, leading UEFA to hand the Azzurri a 3-0 walkover
win.
"We don't have any fears over the game in Belgrade. There
will be no sort of problem with their fans," Prandelli told a
news conference.
"Serbia need a win and we have already qualified. Let's not
speculate on the result, but I expect a good performance."
Serbia are second in Group C and need a win from their
penultimate qualifier to fend off the threat of Estonia for a
play-off berth for June's finals in Ukraine and Poland.
Despite his side having already topped the group, Prandelli
has picked a strong squad and hopes Manchester City's
temperamental forward Mario Balotelli is finally showing signs
of maturing.
"I have found him to be a bit calmer. I hope he gives me a
selection dilemma. This is an important moment for him,"
Prandelli said.
He added that AS Roma's Pablo Osvaldo, Juventus's Simone
Pepe, Fiorentina's Alessio Cerci and Atalanta's Ezequiel
Schelotto were pushing to make future squads if Balotelli
flopped.