Italy v Argentina, Verona, November 13
Mallett's men eye Pumas revenge
ESPNscrum Staff
November 12, 2010
Italy's Sergio Parisse celebrates scoring a try, South Africa v Italy, Puma Stadium, Witbank, South Africa, June 19, 2010
The main man - Italy skipper Sergio Parisse © Getty Images
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Italy kick-off their November campaign against Argentina in Verona on Saturday with coach Nick Mallett desperate to expunge the memory of a damaging 22-14 defeat to the Pumas in Turin two years ago.

The Azzurri failed to produce consistently in this year's Six Nations and ended up a distant second in their summer Tests against South Africa, while Argentina thrashed France six months ago following a disappointing series loss to Andy Robinson's fast-improving Scotland.

The respective packs are among the best in the world but a creative spark is required if either side are to make waves at next year's Rugby World Cup. The clock is ticking.

Italy - Player to Watch: As ever it's hard to look past the mighty Sergio Parisse, who faces the country of his birth. There's a compelling argument that the world's finest No.8s will go head-to-head as Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe packs down for the Pumas and the home side will require all of their captain's pace and creativity to inspire not only their pack but also their backline.

Italy - Team News: Flanker Mauro Bergamasco misses out due to a shoulder injury with his place in the back-row taken by Roberto Barbieri. Craig Gower and Tito Tebaldi continue at halfback while Benetton Treviso centre Tommaso Benvenuti will win his first cap on the wing.

Argentina - Player to Watch: Skipper Felipe Contepomi may not boast the extravagant skills of the injured Juan Martin Hernandez but a steadying hand at fly-half was sorely missed last season. Will need to get their backline moving as, on paper, they have the better of their hosts.

Argentina - Team News: Argentina-based duo Miguel De Achaval and Genaro Fessia start alongside Fernandez Lobbe in the back-row while Biarritz's Manuel Carizza is partnered by Mariano Galarza in the second-row. Montpellier's Santiago Fernandez provides a second kicking option at inside-centre.

Key Battle: There will be plenty of heavy collisions as two of world rugby's most dangerous packs go toe-to-toe but as is so often the case with these sides it will be vital for their halfbacks to produce a coherent display. The jury remains out on former Aussie league star Craig Gower and he needs to get his side on the front-foot against a classy operator like Contepomi.

Trivia: Both Italy and Argentina can claim to have a member of the elite '1,000 point' club in Test matches. Fly-half Diego Dominguez played twice for the Pumas before a 74-Test career with Italy. He scored 27 points for Argentina in 1989 - against Chile and Paraguay - and 983 for the Azzurri between 1991 and 2003.

Stats: A 17-point haul for Contepomi would see him eclipse Federico Todeschini as the Pumas' top scorer against Italy.

Quote Unquote:

"The scrum and defence are the two most important aspects in the identity of our team but we still have to improve our attacking play and our movement of the ball. That's what we've been working on these past few days and we hope to see the fruits of progress starting with the game in Verona." - Italy boss Nick Mallett.

"Saturday's match will be a special one, an authentic derby. Italy will line-up with several Argentina-born players while a lot of our guys have Italian names." - Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma looks forward to the Latin showdown.

Prediction: It's going to be a titanic struggle up front but if the Pumas click, as they did against France, they should have too much firepower for Italy.

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