Buffon leads Italy against Georgia

No false steps are allowed for the Azzurri ahead of next month's showdown at Group B leaders Scotland, who have 21 points from nine games and lead Italy by one point as they welcome Ukraine.

 A further point below, on 19, lie France, who Saturday visit tail-enders Faroe Islands and hope to benefit from the Scotland-Italy clash on November 17 to secure one of two qualifying berths.

 Against Georgia, coach Roberto Donadoni plans to field an attack-prone squad with Juventus's Vincenzo Iaquinta supporting the powerful Luca Toni and the fast and diminutive Antonio Di Natale.

 Toni has fully convinced with his new team Bayern Munich, being joint top-scorer in the Bundesliga with eight goals, while Iaquinta also scored a goal per game in the four played so far, but hurt a knee at the weekend.

 Among those hoping to replace him is Cristiano Lucarelli, who in the summer transferred from Livorno to Ukrainian side Shaktar Donetsk and counts on a favour from his adoptive country.

 "The Ukrainians, by character, never give up. Scotland won't have it easy against them," he said.

 The Azzurri's defence misses mainstay veteran Fabio Cannavaro, usually donning the captain armband, plus Gianluca Zambrotta and Marco Materazzi.

 Their likely replacements are Christian Panucci, Fabio Grosso and Massimo Oddo, who have displayed a good form with their clubs.

 At Genoa's Luigi Ferraris stadium, the 29-year-old world champion Buffon will become the second goalkeeper to captain the Azzurri after Dino Zoff, who won the World Cup in 1982 and a European title in 1968.

 "Ten years ago I arrived at the national team as a greenhorn. Now they give me the (captain's) armband. I am proud of it," Buffon said

   Zoff, a former coach of the Azzurri, now 65, said Buffon "deserves this gratification. He is my heir. He is clever ... I also won a European title. I wish him to draw level with me next year."

   In midfield, Donadoni is likely to rely on AC Milan's package manned by Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini and play maker Andrea Pirlo, with Roma's Daniele De Rossi also available.

 Pirlo and De Rossi, however, must beware of a second yellow card that would sideline them for the game in Scotland.

DPA