Italy lose World Cup heroes for Bulgaria clash

Injuries and lack of form have forced Italy coach Marcello Lippi to look beyond his beloved 2006 World Cup winners and select fresh faces for the Group Eight qualifier in Bulgaria on Saturday.

When he retook the job in June after the Azzurri's drab showing under Roberto Donadoni at Euro 2008, Lippi spoke of his joy at being reunited with his heroes from Berlin.

Just a few months and two fortunate qualifying wins over Cyprus and Georgia later, only eight of the 22-man squad for the game in Sofia were at the 2006 finals.

Striker Alessandro Del Piero, 33, is the most notable World Cup winner to be overlooked, while Gianluigi Buffon and Mauro Camoranesi were added to the list of injured players on Tuesday.

Of four new call-ups in the squad, Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi looks the most likely to start having impressed Lippi at the Beijing Olympics in August.

"He is an important player, up front he knows what to do," Lippi told a news conference.

Rossi, once of Manchester United, could slip into the right side of a three-pronged attack in the absence of Camoranesi.

Forward Antonio Di Natale, who scored twice in the 2-1 win in Cyprus last month, looks certain to play on the left with Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino likely to get the nod over struggling Luca Toni as the main frontman.

Simone Pepe, Christian Maggio and Fabiano Santacroce are the other new faces in the squad, which will stay together for next Wednesday's home qualifier against Montenegro in Lecce.

"Bulgaria and Montenegro deserve the right respect, but we are not worried," Lippi added.

Bulgaria drew 2-2 in their opening qualifier in Montenegro last month and coach Plamen Markov said his team must avoid defeat in their next two matches.

"I'd be pleased if we collect four points in the coming matches against Italy and Georgia (on October 15)," Markov said.

Markov will have to do without injured Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov and Croatian-born defender Igor Tomasic, who recently announced his international retirement.

Tomasic's absence could mean a central defensive partnership between Leicester City's Alexandar Tunchev and stalwart Valentin Iliev, who has shaken off a knee problem.

Battling Energie Cottbus midfielder Stanislav Angelov is suspended for the game but should start in Georgia.

Speedy Manchester City winger Martin Petrov, who missed the Montenegro draw with injury, will again link up with new Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov up front.

Probable teams:

Bulgaria: Dimitar Ivankov; Zhivko Milanov, Alexandar Tunchev, Valentin Iliev, Lucio Vagner; Stilian Petrov, Chavdar Yankov, Velizar Dimitrov, Zdravko Lazarov; Martin Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov

Italy: Marco Amelia; Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Dossena; Gennaro Gattuso, Daniele De Rossi, Simone Perrotta; Giuseppe Rossi, Alberto Gilardino, Antonio Di Natale.