Italy can beat anyone, says Donadoni

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni insisted on Wednesday his men can “beat anyone” after shrugging off their opening loss to the Dutch to reach the least eight of Euro 2008.

“I didn’t have any doubts. We have a team which can beat anyone,” said Donadoni as he assessed the Azzurri’s achievement, sealed with Tuesday’s 2-0 win over France.

“We suffered. We made some mikstakes but even after the match against the Dutch I saw positive things,” Donadoni said at a press conference in Baden, Austria.

Italy, who survived after keeper Gianluigi Buffon saved a crucial penalty in the draw against Romania, will face old rivals Spain in the quarters on Sunday in Vienna.

And the Italians will start as many people’s favourites, despite the good Spanish form shown here, as the “squadra azzura” beat them in quarter-finals of the World Cup in 1934 and 1994 and have not lost to Spain in a major competition in 88 years.

Nonetheless, hampering Italy will be the absence of the suspended World Cup winning midfield duo Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.