Keane: England disrespecting Italy

Manchester United legend Roy Keane said England have underestimated Italy ahead of their Euro 2012 quarter-final on Sunday.

Keane feels that England will find the match a struggle and that they may already have celebrated the fact that they avoided a match against Spain after finishing top of their group.

“I just have a sneaky feeling for Italy,” he told ITV.com.

“The England boys seem to be on a high from avoiding Spain, and subconsciously they might underestimate the Italians.”

The former Sunderland boss said that Danny Welbeck up front will provide England with a good attacking option, but whether that will be enough to see them progress through to the next round is another question entirely.

He continued: “You would have to stick with Danny Welbeck up front; he’s had good chemistry with Wayne Rooney at (Manchester) United this season and has scored an important goal against Sweden.”

Keane also stated that Italy striker Mario Balotelli could be a match winner, despite receiving perhaps more attention for his off-field antics than for his on-field displays in the past year.

He added: “You have to hope he does it on the pitch, and if he’s not you have to take him off, but on his days he’s a match winner.”