Cup fever grows for Italy clash

All Whites fans gave plenty of vocal support in the first game against Slovakia. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The All Whites are 90 minutes away from one of the greatest results in New Zealand sporting history.

And Ricki Herbert's men go into their match with World Cup holders Italy in Nelspruit early tomorrow morning in "positive" mood.

"We have nothing to lose," said Herbert. "No one will expect us to beat Italy, no one expected us to draw against Slovakia.

Bars and cafes across the country will be stretching liquor licenses to the limit as supporters of both sides shun sleep in search of glory.

At Gina's Pizza and Pasta bar in Auckland, husband and wife owners Alessandro and Joyce Fantoni are anticipating a massive turnout from Italian expats.

"We are ready to rock, we are really excited," said Joyce.

Fox's Ale House in Auckland's Viaduct is urging fans to get in by 11pm or risk being turned away.

"There is going to be a whiteout," said manager Alistair Ross. "All the fans and staff will be wearing All White shirts."

In Christchurch, Mitchelli's cafe will be welcoming the "blue half" of the city.

Owner Penny Mitchell said the Italian supporters would be turning out in force.

For those contemplating a big night, sleep experts recommend snatching a power nap this afternoon.

And come tomorrow, regular small meals will help stave off tiredness, said senior AUT nutrition lecturer Caryn Zinn.

"Eating things like wholegrain cereals and breads, fruit and yoghurt will help.

"If you get tired go for a bit of exercise, take a walk around the block. And maybe ask the boss if you can come into work a little later than normal."

But workers can take comfort in the fact their boss will probably have been up most of the night too, according to Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little.

"There will be the usual large doses of caffeine but I think most bosses will be pretty sympathetic," he said.

The TV networks are anticipating another large audience after more than 750,000 stayed up to watch the All Whites' famous draw against Slovakia.

TVNZ spokeswoman Andi Brotherston said a high proportion of those who tuned in to watch the game on TV One were women.

"The World Cup is not so much about the football fans or the tactics, it's about the shared experience."

Sky TV director of communications Tony O'Brien said: "It's been the biggest ever response to a World Cup. The next match will be fantastic."

The game is likely to be a battle of styles as well as status. Few of the All Whites were household names before the tournament while their opponents are Armani-clad, multi-millionaire, model-dating, national heroes.

Herbert is expected to field an unchanged side against the Italians, whose confidence is so brittle they are talking up the threat posed by the 78th-ranked All Whites.

Inexperienced goalkeeper Federico Marchetti will replace injured star Gianluigi Buffon.

And rather than predicting how they will destroy the Kiwis, Italy are concerned about their opponents' height in the box.

"We know they are a very physical squad and good in the air," said Marchetti.

Star midfielder Daniele De Rossi described the possibility of defeat as "unthinkable" and said failure to qualify from the group stages would be "like New Zealand going out in the first round of the Rugby World Cup".

The All Whites scared Italy in a friendly in South Africa last year, losing 4-3 after going in front three times.

Italian coach Marcello Lippi said the game showed New Zealand were dangerous from set pieces: "But everyone knows that we should win." The Italian media remained dismissive, with Rome daily newspaper La Repubblica labelling the All Whites as "nobodies".

The All Whites held a closed training session on Friday. They flew to Nelspruit yesterday before a final training session at the Mbombela Stadium.

NZ 78th best in world? Yeah, right

The All Whites' new-found success makes a mockery of their lowly 78th place in the latest Fifa rankings.

They've vanquished Serbia, Bahrain and Jordan over the past year and gained creditable draws against Iran and Slovakia.

It's far from scientific, but after New Zealand beat Serbia in their World Cup warm-up and Serbia beat Germany, the All Whites could consider themselves on a par with the European elite.

After the first round of matches, the All Whites were level on points with England and France, and had more than pre-tournament favourites Spain.

Found in translation

If you're surrounded by Italian ex-pats while watching tonight's big match, don't despair.

Here are some handy phrases to help you get your thoughts across:

1. Forza All Whites

Come on All Whites

2. Questo e' un rigore, arbitro

That's got to be a penalty, ref

3.Vinceremo i Mondiali

We're going to win the World Cup.

4. Mister, questo 3-4-3 ci ammazza.

Coach, this 3-4-3 formation is killing us.

5. Questa non e' mica la serie C!

We're not playing tiddlywinks!


- additional reporting Michael Brown in South Africa