Toni keen to get back to his roots

Italy coach Roberto Donadoni may be preparing to rest a few players for the final qualifier against the Faroe Islands but striker Luca Toni is eager to play in the city where he started his professional career at Modena FC.

Homecoming king
Toni opened the scoring as Italy won 2-1 in Scotland on Saturday to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008™, and is keen to add to his four goals in Group B at the Stadio Alberto Braglia. "For me, everything started here and it feels good to be back to close the circle in the best possible way," the FC Bayern München forward said. "I want to play because my family will be at the stadium to watch me. We want to win this game to finish the qualifying group in style after the great win Glasgow."

Buffon sits out
While Toni is eager for action, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is ready to make way for Marco Amelia between the posts. "Sometimes it is good to think about the whole group," he said. "For me it is not a problem to sit out one game. On paper we are much stronger than the Faroe Islands but if we want to entertain our fans we will have to play with the right spirit."

Fringe players
Donadoni agreed, and perhaps mindful of how the Faroese made Italy work for a 2-1 win in the corresponding fixture in Torshavn, said: "It is an important game because we have to use all opportunities to train and play together in the best way [before the finals]. It would be a big mistake not to take this game seriously. I want a fully motivated team so I will probably use players who have had fewer opportunities in recent games."