Italy struggled to score on the road to France and have yet to settle on a convincing striking partnership to steer them through the finals. But when they look at Chile, they see one of the best striking duos in the World in the shape of Ivan Zamorano and Marcelo Salas.

In contrast, Roberto Baggio and Christian Vieri will be playing together in a competitive match for the first time. Salas and Zamorano have no such difficulties. The two men banged in 23 of Chile's 32 goals in the qualifiers and have the pace, aggression and touch to take apart any defence in the world.

Take Chile's forward line, stick it on the front of Italy's mean defence and few would be able to stop the resulting side lifting the World Cup. ``I respect Italy and their history,'' Chilean coach Nelson Acosta said at his team's base near Bordeaux. ``They might winbut they'll have to play well over 90 minutes.''

The Italian coach Cesare Maldini said: ``Chile are a very accomplished side and we'll treat them with the respect they deserve. Obviously Salas and Zamorano are their biggest threats but there are other players too. I've been very impressed with midfielder Jose Luis Sierra and (defender Javier) Margas.''