Italy hold no fear for Aussies

Australia defender Lucas Neill believes there will be no way of surprising Italy in their second round tie in Kaiserslautern on Monday.

Australia defender Lucas Neill believes there will be no way of surprising Italy in their second round tie in Kaiserslautern on Monday.

“I think we’ve let that card out of the bag in the last three games. We will respect Italy, we won’t fear them, and I’m sure they’ll do the same because they’ll have to respect us,” said the defender.

“This is the World Cup and anything’s possible so we’ll be going out there with no fear,” said the Blackburn Rovers player.

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But Neill has no illusions about the status gap between the two teams. “Italy have won three World Cups and starred in many tournaments and their reputations are massive so it’s a real David and Goliath situation,” he said. The Italians booked their place in the knockout stage with an efficient 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic but Neill says it is unlikely that the Azzurri will be able to impose their preferred approach on the game.

“They’re a ruthless team. They’re used to going out, getting a goal and protecting it but I can’t see it being a 1-0 against Australia. It’s going to be a fantastic game,” he says.