ITALY : PLAYERS TO WATCH

The best defender in Italy and arguably the best in the world, 29-year-old Alessandro Nesta is simply irreplaceable. He is superb in the air or on the ground. He has great vision and can run with the best of them. What more do you want from a central defender? Italian soccer officials have their fingers crossed that forward Francesco Totti, rehabilitating from a fractured fibula, will be in form come June. He can create goals or score them, although his critics claim he disappears when push comes to shove. Forward Luca Toni has come into his own as a force to be reckoned with on Fiorentina, although there are worries he could be shut down in a competition such as the World Cup. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, considered in many quarters to be the best in the world, returned to the Juventus lineup in mid-season after missing the first half of the Serie A season with a shoulder injury. So, his form could come into question.

ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Angelo Peruzzi (Lazio), Marco Amelia (Livorno)
Defenders: Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Palermo)
Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Simone Barone (Palermo), Francesco Totti (Roma)
Forwards: Luca Toni (Fiorentina), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese)