Italy's coach Marcello Lippi kicks a ball during a training session in Duisburg yesterday. Italy face the Ukraine in the quarter-finals today.
BERLIN (Reuters):
HOSTS GERMANY vowed on the eve of their World Cup quarter-final to stick to their attacking style when they face Argentina today.
Italy, under a cloud over a domestic match-fixing scandal, play Ukraine in today's other quarter-final, while tomorrow sees Portugal take on England and champions Brazil face France.
Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann has won widespread praise for creating an attack-minded team which has scored 10 goals in reaching the last eight of the competition.
Jose Pekerman's Argentina will provide a far sterner test than Germany's previous opponents. They have also scored 10 goals, most of them in a 6-0 demolition of Serbia & Montenegro.
But Klinsmann insisted he would not be more cautious in Berlin's Olympiastadion today.
"I have great respect for Pekerman and his school of football. They've played together many years and honed their style," he said.
"But we won't alter our plan to counter Argentina's style of play. It must be the other way round."
Pekerman's players practised penalties yesterday, but the coach insisted they aimed to win the match without having to go to a shoot-out.
"We're not thinking of getting to the penalties," he said when asked if he already had five names in mind for spot kicks.
TOTTI SET FOR RECALL
Italy look set to recall forward Francesco Totti to the starting line-up for their match in Hamburg.
He was dropped for their second-round tie with Australia before coming off the bench and scoring a last-minute winner from the penalty spot.
"I have seen some important improvements in some of our players, above all Totti who produced something very important on Monday. He gave himself and us all an indescribable joy," said coach Marcello Lippi.
The last two world champions come up against each other in tomorrow's match between Brazil and France.
Brazilian midfielders Emerson and Kaka, who are being treated for pain in their right knees, improved significantly yesterday, team doctor Jose Luis Runco said.
"If the improvement continues, the idea is that tomorrow they can train with the ball," he said.
"The big test will be when they start kicking the ball," said Runco.
"If they can do all the necessary movements without feeling any pain, they will be declared fit to play on Saturday."
France captain Zinedine Zidane, who retires after this World Cup, missed training with a minor injury yesterday, but a team spokesman said the playmaker should be fit to play Brazil.
