Cannavaro's Italy can triumph.

By Dave Tindall

Betting Box Tipping Guide

BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	2pts Italy to win 2-0 at 12/1 (Blue Square).	Three times the price of 1-0 and yet if Italy go in front they are just as likely to add a second on the break late on.
	2pts Fabio Cannavaro to win the Golden Ball at 6/1 (Ladbrokes).	Has been outstanding in this tournament and, as skipper, will be the man to hold aloft the trophy if Italy triumph.
	1pt Andrea Pirlo to win the Golden Ball at 16/1 (Bet Direct).	Has twice been named FIFA Man of the Match in the tournament so far so has plenty in the bank. Should get plenty of chance to shine in final.

We're obviously delighted to see France contesting the World Cup final having tipped them pre-tournament at 14/1.

And there is no magical Brazilian team waiting to take them on in Berlin on Sunday so we won't just be happy to settle for the 7/1 each-way payout.

But does this French side have enough in the bag to take the final step?

On the evidence of their wins over Spain and Brazil, the answer is yes.

The core of the 1998 World Cup-winning team performed heroically in those two games with Zinedine Zidane reminding us how much we'll miss him when he bows out after Sunday's final.

But at other times this French side have chugged to a virtual halt. They invited pressure against South Korea and got punished with a late equaliser and almost suffered the same fate against Portugal in the semis.

Were they tired on Wednesday night? Or were they happy to soak up pressure knowing that Portugal were light up front?

Either way, they didn't look like World Cup winners to me and it could well be that this ageing side peaked against Spain and Brazil and are now on the way back down.

That makes sense when you consider that their average age is over 30 and they've played six games in 23 days in generally hot conditions.

Italy, by contrast, looked to have timed their run to perfection.

Average in the group phase, they edged past Australia, turned up the heat against Ukraine and played some superb football in the semi-final against Germany.

The parallels with the 1982 side are clear to see and it's no surprise that they're now clear favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday.

There is an obvious difference between the 1982 and 2006 teams however.

In Spain (was it really 24 years ago?!) Italy rode to victory on the back of the golden boots and head of Paulo Rossi. The little striker banged in six in the last three games and by the final you just knew he was going to score.

You can't say that about the current crop of Italian strikers. Luca Toni scored twice against Ukraine but he's fired blanks in every other game. Often he's looked nothing more than an honest toiler.

At least Toni's movement up front brings others into the game and it's helped Italy spread the goals around.

The beauty of all great Italian teams is that their defence functions so perfectly that there's often no way back for the opposition if they get their noses in front.

And the current Italy backline seems as good as ever. Marshalled by the superb Fabio Cannavaro, they've conceded just once and that was an own goal!

France too have been hard to break down and Fabien Barthez has picked the ball out of his net just twice.

With two of the strongest defences on show, it's fairly predictable that punters have already piled into 0-0 and 1-0 wins for either side.

But another of the strengths of this Italian side is hitting tired teams on the break.

What looked like 1-0 wins over the Czechs and Germany were turned into 2-0 triumphs with late goals on the break and, therefore, on Sunday my prediction of the final goes like this:

Italy take a 1-0 lead, France find a closed door as they push for a equaliser and the Italians finish them off with a killer second at the death.

With all the clamour for Italy winning by the narrowest of margins, 1-0 has been cut to a ridiculously short 4/1.

But that's good news for us as it means 2-0 is being untouched and it's three times the price at 12/1.

That is simply too big to ignore.

Trying to predict the goalscorers seems much harder so we'll look to another way of siding with the Italians.

The Man of the Match market has been shared around the Italian side during this tournament although one player has won the vote twice - Andrea Pirlo.

I wouldn't put it past the AC Milan star making it a hat-trick as he really is the man who makes this Italian side tick.

It's certainly possible to see Pirlo having a big, big game on Sunday as plenty of the French midfielders show a reluctance to track back. It's not in Zidane's job description while Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda have to be repeatedly told to help out in defence.

Pirlo plays deep enough not to have Claude Makelele buzzing around him so that means I can see him having plenty of the ball.

As he's heavily involved in set-plays he has plenty of chances to create the defining moment although he's just as likely to producing something special in open play.

Interestingly, he's also as big as 16s to win the Golden Ball for player of the tournament.

As he's already picked up two Man of the Match gongs, he has plenty in the bank and if Italy win the game the panel will find it a lot more difficult to hand it to Zidane, the odds-on favourite for the award.

Cannavaro is the other leading contender and, like Zidane, has a higher profile than Pirlo. And, of course, if Italy win it will be Cannavaro, a 6/1 chance, holding aloft the trophy.

I admit that the temptation to give it to the retiring Zidane will be hard to resist but I think the Italian pair should be closer to him in the betting.

It was all very well Zidane weaving his tricks against an accommodating Brazil but, apart from the penalty, he looked to be fading against Portugal and Italy will simply not stand for any show-pony stuff.

Zidane was being caught in possession earlier in the

tournament and you can bet that Gennaro Gattuso will snap at him throughout.

If Zizou doesn't perform and France lose, having 6/1 and 16s about Cannavaro and Pirlo for the Golden Ball will look excellent business.

It's certainly a more interesting and potentially much more profitable way of getting with the Italians, who have made light of their off-field problems during the tournament.

What happens to Italy's players at club level is in the hands of the judges.

But on Sunday I honestly believe that the 2006 national team will take their place in World Cup history.