The Azzurri coach is still to decide on his best strike partner for first-choice Mario Balotelli and the in-form Fiorentina man will get his chance in London

esare Prandelli says he is ready to hand Giuseppe Rossi the opportunity to impress for Italy againstNigeria on Monday.

Two teams who have already qualified for the World Cup will meet at Craven Cottage in one of the final chances for players to stake their claims ahead of the tournament in Brazil next summer.


The Italy boss says he is still searching for the ideal player to complement Mario Balotelli in attack and Rossi will be handed the opportunity after missing the Germany game with a bout of tonsillitis.

“Balotelli is the first-choice centre-forward,” said Prandelli. 

“Now we have to find out who the ideal second striker will be and Rossi is ready for this game.

“I have some pretty clear ideas on certain systems and combinations we can use, even if we have yet to establish which is the best one for us.”

The ex-Fiorentina boss also stated his frustration at the lack of time he has to work with players as an international coach, which means he has to try out different combinations in matches rather than on the training pitch.

Italy have suffered draws against both Haiti and Armenia this year and Prandelli believes the lack of opportunity to try out alternatives is a mitigating factor behind those disappointments. 

Prandelli added: “I perform many experiments because I have not got much time. I am not saying it is a problem that we do not have training camps, but it is a fact.

“It is not club coaches who are the problem but the fixture list and the directors.

“If I had more time to work on things with my squad then I would not have needed to call so many players and we would not have run into some embarrassing results.”

Prandelli also called for more excitement to be generated around the national team as the World Cup begins to draw closer.

“The truth is that right now everyone is thinking about Serie A or the Champions  League,” he said.

“But come June they will all be huge Italy fans. I would like a little more enthusiasm around us now.”

Italy are currently on a run of three consecutive draws against Denmark, Armenia and Germany, while Nigeria are on a high after defeating Ethiopia 4-1 on aggregate over two legs.