Italy defender Christian Panucci has said he expects to shrug off a knee problem in time for Italy's opening Euro 2008 Group C game against Netherlands on Monday.

The 35-year-old, expected to be Italy's first choice right back, tweaked a tendon in his right knee in training yesterday.

"Today it is a bit better even if it is a little swollen. I really think I'll be there," Panucci told a news conference today.

"At this moment there is a bit of pain but tomorrow it will be better."

The world champions must do without defender Fabio Cannavaro after he was ruled out of the tournament earlier in the week with ankle ligament damage.

The world champions also face France and Romania in Group C.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.