Prandelli: Italy not scared of Serbia trip
Italy are not scared of the feverish atmosphere they could encounter in Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade, coach Cesare Prandelli said on Monday.
Italy's home qualifier between the sides a year ago was abandoned early on after Serbian fans threw flares on to the Genoa pitch, leading UEFA to hand the Azzurri a 3-0 walkover win.
"We don't have any fears over the game in Belgrade. There will be no sort of problem with their fans," Prandelli told a news conference.
"Serbia need a win and we have already qualified. Let's not speculate on the result, but I expect a good performance."
Serbia are second in Group C and need a win from their penultimate qualifier to fend off the threat of Estonia for a play-off berth for June's finals in Ukraine and Poland.
Despite his side having already topped the group, Prandelli has picked a strong squad and hopes Manchester City's temperamental forward Mario Balotelli is finally showing signs of maturing.
"I have found him to be a bit calmer. I hope he gives me a selection dilemma. This is an important moment for him," Prandelli said.
He added that AS Roma's Pablo Osvaldo, Juventus's Simone Pepe, Fiorentina's Alessio Cerci and Atalanta's Ezequiel Schelotto were pushing to make future squads if Balotelli flopped.
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