Italy

Full Squad:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St-Germain), Mattia Perin (Genoa).

Defenders: Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorigo Chiellini (all Juventus), Gabriel Paletta (Parma), Ignazio Abate, Mattia De Sciglio (both AC Milan), Matteo Darmian (Torino).

Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio (both Juventus), Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti (both Paris St-Germain), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Marco Parolo (Parma), Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina).

Forwards: Mario Balotelli (AC Milan), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli).

Best Ever Finish: Winners (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)

Manager: Cesare Prandelli

Captain: Gianluigi Buffon

The 2006 winners came through the qualifiers undefeated, topping a group that contained Denmark, Czech Republic and a resurgent Armenia. Winning this group ensured that the Azzurri have now qualified for every World Cup since 1962.

Looking ahead to the championships, the Italians are expected the have one of the most experienced squads of any side. Figures like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Giorgio Chiellini still make up the core of this side, but youngsters like Marco Veratti and Mattia De Sciglio could be blooded in to give the first XI a revitalized feel.

With the baulk of the Italian squad coming from Juventus and , the players will have a cohesive understanding of how their team mates operate. The starting XI will be full of club partnerships – particularly in defence and midfield – and that familiarity will no doubt serve them well here.

But it’s tough to predict how Italy will get on, as their World Cup record oscillates wildly. Having won the tournament in 2006,  their last appearance was farcical. The Italians failed to win a game and finished bottom of what was a relatively straightforward group.  They have a much more difficult group this time round and despite having failed to win a game this calendar year, they will surely fare better than in 2010.

Key Player – Andrea Pirlo

Having earned 107 caps for his country at the time of writing, it seems like Pirlo has been around for an age and at 35-years-old, this looks set to be his last ever major tournament.

The Juventus midfielder has learned to adapt his game, no longer being used as what you’d call an orthodox midfielder, but as a deep-lying playmaker. He is still masterful in this position and has a massive influence on games with expert passing, unparalleled vision, unnerving composure and pin-point set-piece ability.

The man the Juventus fans have dubbed ‘Mozart’ is gradually being eased out of the side at club level. But the same can not be said for the national team who are still dependent on Pirlo to manage the play and keep the team ticking over.