A B C D
E F G H
England beefs up defence for Italy
ROME (AP) -- Italy won't have an inexperienced defence to pick on this time. David Seaman and Tony Adams will make sure of that.Injuries forced the two Arsenal players out of England's 1-0 loss to Italy in February. But both are fit and will start Saturday's World Cup qualifying rematch -- Seaman between the posts and Adams at centre-back, likely as captain.
"Any squad needs a spine, and they provide it," England coach Glenn Hoddle said Thursday of his defensive stalwarts.
The duo brings plenty of national team experience -- Seaman has 37 caps, Adams 47 -- and an important familiarity that comes with having been teammates at Arsenal since 1990.
Seaman and Adams -- along with striker Ian Wright, expected to start up front with Teddy Sheringham -- have helped Arsenal take the lead in the Premier League through 10 games.
Without them at Wembley, England left plenty of space for sparkplug striker Gianfranco Zola. The diminutive Italian exploited that, streaking by defender Sol Campbell and unleashing the winning shot past backup 'keeper Ian Walker, who was making his first international start.
Hoddle said he has two fitness worries for Saturday's match: midfielder David Beckham and defender Gareth Southgate, both originally slotted for the starting 11.
"David has a heavy cold, and it's more than just a sniffle," the coach said.
He declined to say what Southgate's injury is, but said the Aston Villa defender -- guilty of a missed penalty against Germany in England's Euro '96 semifinal flameout -- would skip practice Thursday.
Meanwhile, Italy coach Cesare Maldini indicated Thursday he also has two doubts for his lineup. The most vital is whether veteran Ciro Ferrara, recovering from a muscle injury, can play. Maldini said Ferrara "still feels a little pain" and his status will be determines the day of the game.
The other question is whether to start Diego Fuser or Attilio Lombardo on the right side of the midfield.
If Southgate can't go for England, Adams assumes a bigger burden for directing the backline against an assault from an Italian side that knows it must win to assure qualification.
"You don't get too many opportunities to play in the World Cup, so it intensifies things," Adams, 30, said. "This is the biggest game. We've got to grab the occasion with both hands.
"If this game doesn't motivate you then it's time to get out of the sport."
Adams hasn't had much game action this year because of the bad ankle that held him out of the first Italy game. But he declared himself ready this time.
"I would have loved to have Tony in the squad more times," Hoddle said. "He's a player who can play his own game and also help others."
Sheringham and Adams both said England's players are relaxed going into the match, knowing the pressure is really on Italy.
"They should be worried about us because we're playing well and they need to beat us," said Sheringham, who scored when Manchester United beat Juventus 3-2 in an Oct. 2 Champions' Cup match.
"It's a more important game for them. We're on top and they need to get there."
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