Italy bid to end run of Serbian draws

Italy will be tackling UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group C rivals Serbia for the first time since Montenegro declared independence, with recent fixtures between teams from the two nations having become somewhat predictable.

Match background
• Italy's record in 20 games against Yugoslavia and the former Serbia and Montenegro reads W8 D8 L4 (W7 D4 L1 at home).

• Italy only once lost a home game against the two former entities, succumbing 4-0 to Yugoslavia in Turin on 29 May 1955.

• Italy and Yugoslavia met in the final of the 1968 UEFA European Championship, with finals hosts Italy winning 2-0 in a replay two days after the sides had drawn 1-1 over 120 minutes in Rome. Luigi Riva and Pietro Anastasi scored the winning goals in the replay.

• Five of Italy's last six matches against Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia ended in 1-1 draws. The teams are currently on a run of four consecutive 1-1s following Italy's 1-0 success against Yugoslavia in Pisa on 23 September 1987.

• The sides last met in a friendly in Toronto, Canada, on 8 June 2005, when Cristiano Lucarelli's debut goal for Italy cancelled out a Nikola Žigić opener, which was followed soon afterwards by a red card for the Azzurri's Manuele Blasi.