Italy takes on Slovakia, Thursday June 24, in a must win for the Italians if they want to make the last 16 in Group F action. Slovakia can advance with an outright win and New Zealand loss. World Cup oddsmakers at BODOG.com have Italy as -200 moneyline favorites over Slovakia (+600) with a DRAW at (+275). Be sure to get your Slovakia vs Italy Odds 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F in now at BODOG.com
Slovakia drew 1-1 with New Zealand first time out before suffering a 0-2 loss at the hands of Paraguay. Slovakia striker Martin Jakubko says there will no surprises when they face Italy. Jakubko said: "Italy is a well-known team. They have won the World Cup four times, including last time. That says it all about Italy. "There are a few national teams who are traditionally strong in these tournaments. Germany, for example, is one of them. They are used to reaching finals. We are newcomers ." Robert Vittek scored a header against New Zealand to record his 20th international goal and move just two shy of the country’s record scorer, Szilard Nemeth.
Italy head into their final Group F match searching for their first win of the tournament, after being held to a 1-1 draw by Paraguay and a 1-1 draw to New Zealand. "I didn't expect it to turn out like it did," said Gilardino, who has yet to score in the tournament. "But if we want to progress to the next round, we have to do much more, otherwise, it is right that we go home." The good news for Italy is that playmaker Andrea Pirlo has returned to training after missing the first two games with a muscular injury. The AC Milan midfielder could feature against Slovakia, who have not impressed at all in South Africa.
"We can still do important things in this World Cup. It's within our possibilities. We can do so much better that what we have done so far. But we have to take responsibility after two games that didn't go as we had planned. Not everything has gone well but we cannot see the glass empty because it's not the case. There is absolutely no crisis in our team," Coach Marcello Lippi said. Budweiser Man-of-the-Match midfielder Daniele De Rossi insisted that Italy will be going all out for a win against Slovakia on Thursday to book their place in the last 16. "We are going to try to win, we have one result to qualify and we don't want to draw, we want to win,
Slovakia vs Italy
When: Thursday, June 24- 10:00 AM ET
Line: BODOG.com
Pick: Italy -200
Point-Spreads.com Slovakia vs Italy Odds 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F
The Bottom Line: Italy have to play hard and attack to get past Italy. Be sure to get your Slovakia vs Italy Odds 2010 FIFA World Cup Group F in now at BODOG.com and receive a 10% deposit bonus .
