A B C D
E F G H
Italian coach looks to Ravanelli for scoring
ROME (AP) -- With Italy's World Cup hopes and his job on the line, national coach Cesare Maldini looked to Fabrizio Ravanelli for added scoring punch in naming his roster Thursday for the qualification playoff against Russia.Maldini also shored up an injury-depleted defence by adding newcomers Fabio Petruzzi and Luigi Sartor, and bringing back Gianluca Pessotto.
Three of Italy's last four Group 2 qualifying matches ended in 0-0 draws. The side's lethargy in attack was highlighted in the last of those draws, Oct. 11 against England at Rome -- a match Italy needed to win to book a place at next summer's World Cup finals.
That failure left Italy among eight group runners-up placed in two-leg playoffs for a spot in France '98. The first leg against Russia is Wednesday in Moscow, and the teams will meet again Nov. 15 in Naples.
Italy was runner-up at the 1994 World Cup, while Russia failed to advance out of the first round.
Italians generally expect their team to win the World Cup, not just qualify for the finals, and Maldini has been on the hot seat since a 0-0 draw at Georgia on Sept. 10. The lackluster effort against England leaves him even less leeway.
Maldini's charges have not allowed a goal in an official match since he took over. But he added insurance for the backline with veterans Ciro Ferrara and Christian Panucci out and Paolo Maldini -- the captain and coach's son -- getting over an injury. AC Milan's Maldini hurt his ankle against England, while Juventus' Ferrara missed that game with the same leg muscle strain that sidelines him now.
Ravanelli, 28, has eight goals in 17 games with the national team, but hasn't played for the Azzurri since April. With his diminished playing time on second-level English team Middlesbrough hurting his chances to be called up by Maldini, Ravanelli transfered to France's Olympic Marseille.
Another foreign-based player, Christian Vieri of Spain's Atletico Madrid, will also be looked to for scoring. He leads the Spanish League in goals and has netted six in his last two outings. Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola, a fixture in attack since Maldini became coach in December, could lose his starting spot.
Filippo Inzaghi, a surprise starter against England, was dropped from Italy's roster, while once again Roberto Baggio was not among the 24 players named.
The midfield, a glaring weakness against England, gets Roberto Di Matteo, a teammate of Zola's at Chelsea, back from suspension. His return offsets the absence of Angelo Di Livio, who was red-carded in the last match and is disqualified.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan