Italy and France wage usual war of nerves

As usual, the Giuseppe Meazza will host more than just a game as the two neighbours never miss a chance to argue about the unsurpassed quality of their wines, cheese, monuments and, of course, football.

 French coach Raymond Domenech started hostilities already in mid-August, accusing Italian football of corruption, which to some looked like a mere statement of fact considering the wide scandal that shook the Serie A in 2006.

 As a result, though, Europe's ruling body UEFA, sentenced the coach to watch the game from the stands, where Giancarlo Abete, the president of Italy's football federation, said he will anyway shake his hand.

 Just as the Domenech case subsided, midfielder Lassana Diarra poured fuel on the fire labelling Italian footballers "cheaters" and "teasers."

   Although Italians tried to keep their cool, the low-key Alessandro Del Piero noted that "tension is high, the teams are strong, the precedents were hot.

 "We hope it is just a football match, but, regardless all good intentions, it will be a tense, hard game ... Their words have charged us: they were an own goal."

   Franck Ribery, possibly France's scrappiest player, was on the same wavelength, calling the game "a battle."

   "We are ready. We are France. We fear no one," Ribery said. "Italy? They defend well and do plenty of fouls."

   Words aside, the two qualifying berths in Group B are far from settled as France lead on 18 points, the Italian World champions have 16 points, and Scotland trail on 15 ahead of a Saturday's home affair to Lithuania and a visit to France Wednesday, when Italy play at 12-point Ukraine.

 The Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni has come to terms with the definitive defections of striker Francesco Totti and defender Alessandro Nesta, and hopes in the recovery of the powerful forward Luca Toni, Ribery's team mate at Bayern Munich.

 As he looks to avenge the 3-1 beating suffered last year in Paris, Donadoni called back veteran defender Christian Panucci to replace the injured Marco Materazzi and gives a first chance to midfielder Pasquale Foggia, a fast 24-year-old from Cagliari.

 Among the Les Bleus, injuries are likely to sideline midfield mainstay Patrick Vieira and defender William Gallas, while up-front, Domenech will certainly rely on Thierry Henry, possibly alongside Nicolas Anelka.

 Some rough action is guaranteed in midfield as Italy's Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi will face off with Ribery, Florent Malouda and, should Viera not make it, Jeremy Toulalan.

DPA