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I'm sorry if this sounds a little harsh, since it's not meant to be (blame the Greene King IPA), but that's a bit of an odd question.
They're supposed to be one of the best teams in the world. They have strikers who can stick the ball in the back of the net, and they have defenders who - unlike, say, Roberto Carlos - who understand the concept of what they're supposed to do. They also have a strong midfield and a decent goalkeeper. So they're more than able to beat Australia.
The question, though, is whether or not they will beat the Aussies.
If this question had been asked at the 1994, 1998 or 2002 tournaments, the answer would have been 'Yes, unless something goes badly wrong'.
This time, though, Australia are a far stronger squad than they've been in the past, and given the general Aussie propensity for not giving in at sport (see their Cricket and Rugby teams), I suspect that they could and should give Italy a very close run game. A well-drilled side (for instance, one managed by Guus Hiddink) with some talented players should be able to make life less than simple for any of the teams still in the tournamentm, however. So while I think Italy should, on balance, win, I wouldn't be shocked if Australia run them close, or indeed manage to sneak a victory.
Nor, if that happens, will I be shocked to learn from this foro that the ref's sister-in-law's best friend's brother-in-law's mother's next door neighbour's son once went to Australia, thus making the referee open to bribery by FIFA and the result forever tainted...
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