Malta vs Italy Preview

Topics: Cesare Prandelli, Italy, Malta, World Cup 2014, Mario Balotelli

Cesare Prandelli's squad will take on Malta coming off a 2-2 draw against Brazil in Switzerland on Thursday.

Things did not look too good for Italy on Thursday as they trailed Brazil, but two strikes from Mario Balotelli and Daniele De Rossi in a matter of minutes leveled the Azzurri. Their match on Tuesday may not turn out to be as difficult as their last, but Malta will certainly not hand the Italians the three points.

The National Stadium in Malta is expecting 17,000 fans to pack the stands, giving the home side a boost of confidence. Winless in all their meetings against Italy, Malta has only managed to score one goal against the Italians, while conceding 15.

Italy's Cesare Prandelli will welcome back Claudio Marchisio after the midfielder was sidelined against Brazil due to the flu. That may or may not force AC Milan's Ricardo Montolivo to the bench, but either way, the Italian's will have a good option with either one.

In the Italian front line, AC Milan duo Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli will most likely get the start together. Balotelli's fantastic strike against Brazil had fans from all over the world applauding his effort, and the Italian strikers has noticed his fan base grow.

"After Euro 2012, I noticed that my popularity increased. Thanks to the Italy squad, now fans from other clubs are starting to like me too," Balotelli told reporters. "The Nazionale has something special, something more. I can't explain it, it is above all else."

Watching Bulgaria put six goals past Malta on Friday should give Prandelli a glimmer of hope that his side will be able to see off this Malta side.

"Malta simply are well organized and don't leave much space," said Prandelli. "Would I be happy with a 0-1 victory? It depends on how we go about securing it. The points are what matter right now, but I'm convinced that you get results by playing well."

Italy has a slender lead over second placed Bulgaria, so securing three points on Tuesday will be extremely important. Malta has only scored one goal in four matches, while they have conceded 12. Given Italy's defensive record with only four goals conceded in four matches, the hosts should face an extremely difficult task of scoring on the Italians.