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Nesta to miss Roos clash

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25 June 2006 | 01:50 - Reuters

The Socceroos have received a big boost ahead of their World Cup round of 16 clash with Italy after their opponents' leading defender was ruled out of the match through injury.

 

Italian centre-back Alessandro Nesta - the lynchpin of the team's much-vaunted defence - injured a groin during Italy's 2-0 win over the Czech Republic on Thursday.

Team doctor Enrico Castellacci told Agence France Presse that Nesta would not play against the Socceroos, with Italian radio reports also confirming he was out of the game.

It is expected Marco Materazzi, who scored Italy's first goal against the Czechs and was man-of-the-match after replacing Nesta off the bench, will retain his place at the heart of the Azzurri's defence.

Australia is likely to make at least one change, with Mark Schwarzer expected to return in goal to replace Zeljko Kalac, who had an unhappy game in the 2-2 draw with Croatia.

The Socceroos cancelled training on Saturday, with the team expected to have one more session on Sunday ahead of Monday's (Tuesday AET) match in Kaiserslautern - about a 90 minute drive from their base in southern Germany.

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