Marcello Lippi does not seem to have too much options tonight as Italy take on Georgia up north in Udine. No result other than a victory suits the Azzurri who have to win this match to keep their 100 per cent record in Group Eight.
But, unlike the lucky win over Cyprus on Saturday, Lippi's men have to do the job in style this time against a team that they have beaten five times in six previous qualifying matches.
On Saturday, Italy were far from their best as they found the going tough against minnows Cyprus.
Lippi's module looked disjointed. The players were running out of steam and had it not been for a five-star performance from Gianluigi Buffon, Italy would have finished on the wrong end of a shocking scoreline.
Lippi did not mince his words in his comments to the media as he admitted that a draw would have been a fair result. The veteran coach admitted his team was poor, also owing to the injuries sustained by Alessandro Gamberini and Fabio Grosso in the opening minutes of the game in Larnaca.
The Italians are notorious for being slow-starters but Saturday's display brought to surface a number of shortcomings Lippi must address before it is too late.
He has to increase his options, mostly in defence. Gianluca Zambrotta is not the type of defender he used to be until two years ago. His stint in Barcelona proved to be counter-productive for the wing-back, now at Milan.
Fabio Cannavaro still ranks as one of the most valid central defenders around despite his veteran age. But, when Italy play in the 2010 World Cup, if they qualify, Cannavaro will be almost 37. If fit, his huge talent and experience will make Cannavaro an obvious choice for South Africa.
However, it would be a huge mistake if Lippi was to rely solely on the Real Madrid centre-half in the next two years.
It seems pretty clear that Italy need new faces at the back. Andrea Barzagli and Marco Cassetti do not boast the pedigree to lead Italy's defence. Massimo Oddo and Marco Materazzi seem to be in the twilight of their Italy careers and, therefore, it would be a mistake if no other alternatives are found before the next World Cup.
Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Daniele De Rossi, Alberto Aquilani and Mauro Camoranesi provide enough cover in midfield but what about their eventual substitutes in case of injuries or suspensions?
Another point for Lippi to ponder on is Luca Toni's below-par form of late. The Bayern Munich hitman was a huge disappointment in Euro 2008 and a pale shadow of himself against the Cypriots.
Is Toni past his best? Are there any other strikers who deserve an Italy call-up?
Along with Buffon, Antonio Di Natale played a blinder on Saturday. The Udinese forward has figured consistently well for Italy in the past two years but needs more running time at top level football.
With Udinese, Di Natale is limited to Serie A football, mainly, but no Champions League action. However, he is still a valid asset for the national team.
I think, Italy were lucky to have avoided a strong team when pitted against Cyprus, Eire, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Georgia in the qualifying phase. So, this campaign should serve Lippi to assemble a competitive squad, good enough to defend the world title in two years' time in South Africa.
As things stand at present, Italy will not rank among the challengers because they lack in quality and back-up in certain departments. And, it won't be easy for Lippi to unearth new players since the top Serie A clubs are all overloaded with non-Italian players.
Italy's route to the 2010 World Cup should not prove to be too much complicated though as the quest to retain the title won in 2006 has already started. The hope is that in the upcoming internationals Lippi moulds a new-look squad with valid utility players in key roles.