South Africa and Italy will face off in an exciting Group G clash to determine which team will qualify for the Round of 16.
Italy lost 0-5 to Sweden last time out, and I'm sure the players will be very disappointed with that performance, especially since they beat Argentina in the first round of the group stage. Italy's goal-scoring prowess is lacking, so Gianni, who scored the game-winning goal against Argentina, could provide a back-up option when the opposing team's defense tires. In addition, they need to improve their goal-scoring ability and capitalize on their chances to score goals.
In defense, Italy failed to cope with Sweden's aerial bombardment during dead ball attacks, 3 of the 5 goals conceded came from defensive corners. As South Africa's dead ball handling may not be as threatening as Sweden's, I'm sure Italy will make some improvements and become more organized at the back.
Although South Africa failed to hold on to their two-goal lead against Argentina and ended up with a draw, I feel that the match had some merits. South Africa's two wingers, Hidamarjaya and Sisenyi, have been playing well, and with their high speed and dexterity, they have the ability to cause problems for Italy's pair of right and left wingers, while Ghadirana is a very good goal scorer, and has a great chance to become the team's most threatening player in terms of scoring goals.
