Bafana prepare for Azzurri
Brad Morgan
11 October 2007
The Bafana Bafana squad to take on World Cup winners Italy in a friendly next week will meet in Nuremburg, Germany for a training camp from Thursday. The group of 22, which is almost at full strength, will need to be at their best to challenge the Italians in Siena on 17 October.
Four days before the Azzurri tackle South Africa, the same squad that will face Carlos Alberto Parreira's charges will do battle against Georgia in a Euro 2008 qualifier. It is an indication that Italy's coach Roberto Donadoni has held nothing back in his selection for the friendly at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.
The Italians are currently top of the Fifa world rankings, while South Africa has slipped to 73rd spot following a terrible 3-1 loss to Zambia in the last of their African Cup of Nations qualifying matches.
Play with freedom
On paper, therefore, it would seem an easy match for Italy, which is something coach Parreira is
hoping to use to his advantage. With expectations of a victory low, he says the South African players should use the occasion to play with freedom and express themselves.
It may well take an expression of freedom and inspiration to prise open one of the best organised defences in the game.
Certainly, in matches against the world's leading teams, Bafana Bafana have to start showing that they can create chances for the team's strikers. There were signs of that in the side's narrow 1-0 loss to Scotland (who recently beat France away from home), but everything fell apart in the defeat against Zambia in Cape Town.
Strongest available squad
Parreira says he has chosen his strongest available squad for the contest. It is similar to the team that last did duty against Zambia and Uruguay, but there are some changes.
With Delron Buckley and Bradley Carnell out of contention for a place because of injuries, Bennett Chenene of Orlando
Pirates and Ricardo Katza have been called into the squad.
Midfielder Bamuso Sono, the son of SA legend Jomo Sono, has cracked the nod after making his debut for South Africa against Botswana in the Cosafa Castle Cup at the end of September.
Another midfielder, Lance Davids, who plays for Stockholm's Djurgårdens IF, earns his first call-up under Parreira.
Bafana Bafana will be without of their star forwards, Sibusiso Zuma, who has been struggling with an injury.
Suspended
World Player of the Year Fabio Canavaro hasn't been selected for Italy's match against Georgia because he is suspended. However, he could turn out against South Africa.
Two of Italy's leading strikers won't be in action. Filippo Inzaghi hasn't earned selection, while Alessandro Del Piero and coach Donadoni are not seeing eye-to-eye after Del Piero issued an ultimatum to the coach to either play him up front or drop him.
A number of players who helped
the Italians lift the World Cup won't be in action either, including Gianluca Zambrotta, Marco Materazzi and Mauro Camoranesi, but that hardly means the Azzurri will be understrength.
Player of the Year nominees
Their line-up includes star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, midfielder Andrea Pirlo, and tough-tackling Gennaro Gattuso, all of whom have named on the 30-strong shortlist for Fifa's 2007 World Player of the Year award, along with Canavaro.
Bafana Bafana and Italy have met once before, with the Italians winning 1-0 in Perugia in 2001.
TEAMS
SOUTH AFRICA
Goalkeepers Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Calvin Marlin (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders Aaron Mokoena (Blackburn Rovers, England), Bradley Carnell (Karlsruhe, Germany), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos, Greece), Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs), Vuyo Mere (Sundowns), Bevan Fransman (Moroka Swallows), Brett Evans (Ajax Cape
Town)
Midfielders: Benson Mhlongo (Sundowns), MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Golden Arrows), Steven Pienaar (Everton, England), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs), Bamuza Sono (Jomo Sono), Lance Davids (Djurgardens IF), Siyabonga Nkosi (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Delron Buckley (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)
Strikers Siyabonga Nomvete (Aarlborg BK, Denmark), Benedict McCarthy (Blackburn Rovers, England), Thembinkosi Fanteni (Ajax Cape Town)
ITALY
Goalkeepers Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluca Curci (AS Roma), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Defenders Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (AS Roma)
Midfielders Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Stefano Mauri (Lazio), Riccardo
Montolivo (Fiorentina), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Strikers Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Cristiano Lucarelli (Shakhtar Donetsk), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich)
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