Euro 2012 qualifying preview: Slovenia v Italy

Italy will be hoping to seal up their trip to the 2012 European Championships with victory on Friday, but Slovenia have other ideas.

The Italians, desperate to restore themselves as a force to be reckoned with after their World Cup defence ended in the group stages, have settled into a comfortable three-point lead on top of Group C following three Euro 2012 qualifiers.But their form has been patchy at best. Discounting a 5-0 thrashing of group minnows the Faroe Islands, Italy have limped their way to a 2-1 win at Estonia, drew 0-0 at Northern Ireland and been awarded a 3-0 win over Serbia after Serbian fans rioted in Genoa.Slovenia are second in the group with seven points, with a 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland the only stain on their otherwise spotless record, and will fancy themselves a chance of at least taking a point when Italy visit Celje.No team has yet managed to keep a clean sheet against Slovenia, with Tim Matavz the form goal-scorer after the Groningen striker piled a hat-trick past the Faroe Islands.That means Italy could require two goals to win, a task which seems difficult given Cesare Prandelli’s side have only managed a pair of 1-1 friendly draws with Romania and at Germany this year.Prandelli has also sprung a selection surprise by including 31-year-old Lazio forward Stefano Mauri ahead of Alessandro del Piero and Francesco Totti.Mauri, who has earned only 10 caps since debuting for his country in 2004, could find himself thrust into the action at the Petrol Arena should Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini fail to find the net.Italy will be buoyed by the fact that they have conceded just one goal so far in their qualifying campaign, as well as reports Matavz is carrying an injury and could be a game-time decision.But in a blow to the Azzurri’s defence, Inter Milan’s Andrea Ranocchia has been ruled out with a knee injury.Slovenian legend Zlatko Zahovic predicted earlier this week his countrymen would carve up the ‘too slow’ Ranocchia, so perhaps his absence will hurt the hosts as much as the visitors.While a win will not guarantee Italy a trip to the finals in Poland and Ukraine next year, a six-point lead on the table will prove difficult for their group opponents to overhaul.A win for Slovenia will leave both teams on 10 points and the group evenly poised.