Italy ready for friendly foes

Having spent the last two seasons at FC Barcelona, Gianluca Zambrotta will face a few familiar faces when Italy will meet Spain in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Sunday.

'Peculiar game'
The Azzurri beat France 2-0 in a FIFA World Cup final rematch last night in Zurich to finish second in Group C, earning a tie against the Group D winners. "It will be a peculiar game for me as I know most of the players in the Spanish squad very well," said the 31-year-old right-back, who will be playing at AC Milan next season. "However, I will only be thinking of reaching the semi-finals on Sunday. Spain are a very good team and I'm expecting a classic game between two great sides."

Brotherly spirit
After the game, Italian Football Federation vice-president Demetrio Albertini, who has also played for Barcelona during his career, said he received an SMS from Carles Puyol saying, "Vamos Hermanos, nos hemos pronto" (Let's go brother, we are ready). "I received this message immediately after the game," the former Italy midfielder said. "We were still in the locker room celebrating our victory."

Duo suspended
Italy will be without Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso against Spain due to suspension after the two Milan midfielders received their second bookings of the tournament against France. "They are both important players for us but our group is very strong and united," Zambrotta explained. "I'm sure we have the possibility to replace every player as long as we play with the same approach and hunger for success that we had tonight."

Staying united
Azzurri striker Luca Toni, who had a number of presentable opportunities to score against France and has still to find the net in the tournament, was more apprehensive about the absences of two of Italy's most experienced players. "We will surely miss them," the FC Bayern München player said. "Pirlo is extremely important for the attackers with his brilliant passes. However, this group has once again proved how strong it is in difficult situations. The secret is to stay united even in difficult moments. I'm sure we will give 100 per cent until the end."