Gianluigi Buffon's absence could be a huge blow to an injury-depleted Italy when they take on Bulgaria on Saturday in Sofia.
"I'm happy Buffon isn't playing. And I don't think I'm the only one," Bulgaria captain and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov said. "He's Italy's symbol, the strongest goalkeeper in the world. Let's call ourselves lucky."
Besides Buffon, who is out for a month with a leg muscle problem, the World Cup champions are also without Andrea Pirlo, Mauro Camoranesi, Fabio Grosso, Marco Materazzi and Vincenzo Iaquinta.
Alessandro Del Piero and Antonio Cassano were intentionally left off the roster by coach Marcello Lippi, who called up four new players instead - Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi, Udinese forward Simone Pepe, Napoli defender Fabiano Santacroce and Napoli midfielder Christian Maggio.
"The injuries accelerated the new additions, but it's not like I wouldn't have done it without these problems," Lippi said. "In two years at the World Cup we won't be any younger."
Palermo's Marco Amelia will fill in for Buffon in goal, Liverpool's Andrea Dossena is being tipped to start at left back and Pepe or Rossi could get the nod in attack on the right flank.
Berbatov added that he was surprised to see some of the new Italian faces. He said: "I was expecting to see [Luca] Toni and Del Piero, nobody was thinking about Giuseppe Rossi."
Only eight members of the 23-player squad who won the World Cup two years ago are on Italy's roster "It's always upsetting not to see the guys here who I shared the World Cup victory with," captain Fabio Cannavaro said.
"But the players who are here are all exceptional. We've got the right spirit and that makes me confident."
Italy haven't lost an official match to Bulgaria in 40 years and won the last two meetings - at the 1994 World Cup and 2004 European Championship - each by the score of 2-1. "In the past, Italy have often created big disappointments for us, but this is our chance to get revenge," Berbatov said.
sports@thenational.ae
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
