VIENNA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Italy coach Roberto Donadoni Saturday asked supporters to keep faith in Azzurri while telling players to play mentally strong in Sunday's quarterfinal clash of Euro 2008 here against Spain. "I'll only tell them (Italian fans) one thing. They have to put their confidence in us. It's very important in football," Donadoni told media at a pre-match press conference here Saturday evening after a 75-minute training in the Ernst Happel Stadium. "All my players have recovered and the fitness conditions are good. Then the mental aspect will play very important role," he added. "When physical things do not work out, your mind will determine what your way leading to." The coach came under pressure after a poor run of the world champions in group stage, losing their Euro 2008 campaign opener 3-0 to the Netherlands and tying underdogs Romania 1-1 before trouncing France 2-0 to book quarterfinal place. Donadoni, however, still played cool ahead of the knockout encounter against Spain. Failure on Sunday could see the former AC Milan midfielder going home unemployed and empty handed after he took in change from Marcello Lippe following Azzurri's trophy-lifting World Cup campaign in 2006. "I'm calm and I'm relaxed," he said. "There's no need to cause tension within the team ahead of an important match. I know the team will need more determination and conviction tomorrow."
Azzurri, who keep a 88-year unbeaten record against Spain in major tournaments, lost 1-0 to Luis Aragones' side, but the mark seemed not to have troubled Donadoni. "Plenty of time has elapsed since we played them last. A friendly four months ago is one thing, playing in the quarter final of the European Championship is another," he said. "Spain are less physical, comparing to France, but they are faster, quicker and may make great difficulty to us," commented the boss. Donadoni released few about his lineup for Sunday's quarterfinal, as the world champions will be without the suspended Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattusso. "We don't have a full selection available but I am convinced that whoever comes in will play well," he said, declining to confirm whether Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani will act as playmaker in Pirlo's position. "Aquilani is improving. He has always been considered a good player. He has all the skills to play in this match," said Donadoni, adding that his lineup for the Vienna game was not yet decided. "We still have another training session tomorrow morning so we will see after that." The coach will also decide on the game day morning about the five candidates to count if the match was pulled into penalty shootout. "We have tried out a few penalties so I know which players look the better option," he said. " Tomorrow (Sunday) I will draw up a proper list."
