Czech Republic vs Italy Match Preview

On the contrary to what was expected to be the case at this stage, neither the Czech Republic nor Italy are guaranteed to qualify from Group E, therefore the claws will be out when they meet in Hamburg for this crucial match on Thursday afternoon. The Italians were held to a 1-1 draw in what was they most incident-packed game of the tournament thus far, against the USA in Kaiserslautern, a match in which three players were sent off. The Czech Republic, meanwhile, lacked firepower owing to injuries to key strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baros when squaring up against Ghana, and the Africans duly capitalised by winning 2-0. With Ghana sure to fancy their chances against the USA in their final match in this group, the onus is on the Czech Republic and Italy in this game, as it could easily turn out to be the last of the tournament for either side, so we should be in for a cracking match. The two nations have clashed on five occasions, and share an equal portion of the spoils, winning two apiece, with the other meeting resulting in a draw. The draw was a 2-2 thriller when they most recently met, a friendly in Palermo in 2004. This result is a good guide as to how closely matched these two sides are. However, the balance of power has tilted in the favour of the Azzurri owing to the fact that Milan Baros may not be fit in time for this tie, therefore Karel Bruckner's men may again be forced to play with a second-choice strikeforce. In any case, if Baros was to be deemed fit enough to line-up, his lack of match fitness will surely be a negative factor in a game of this magnitude. All in all, The Czech's look up against it. Italy have no such problems and although a draw in the fixture would be enough to secure their passage to the next stage, Marcello Lippi's charges will be going full throttle for all three points so as to avoid meeting the Brazilians in the next round. That pleasure could end up being Ghana's. Despite the Czech Republic lacking their preferred front-line, they have two midfielders capable of scoring plenty of goals in Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky. However, with a heightened reliance on these creative influences to deliver the end product, it's likely that the Czech's could end up with too few players behind the ball when on the defence, and we know that the Italians have the pace and flair to punish opponents on the counter attack. With this in mind, I'd be surprised if Italy were not to emerge victorious. Luca Toni proved a real handful for Ghana during Italy's 2-0 victory over the African side in Hanover and, despite not getting his name on the scoresheet, he was a constant threat. The Fiorentina hitman didn't have the same impact against the USA, but that was one of those frustrating matches and Toni will be keen to put that indifferent display behind him in this match. Surprisingly, vcbet are offering a standout price of 7/4 about Luca Toni in the anytime goalscorer market, which rates cracking value (he's generally 5/4). This is by far the best bet on offer, about a player who has scored seven times in twenty appearances for his country. VERDICT - 2pts Luca Toni to score anytime @ 7/4 (vcbet)