Italy's Alessandro Diamanti has insisted that his team has nothing to fear ahead of this weekend's Euro 2012 quarter-final clash against England.
The Bologna midfielder said that the Azure have a stronger side that their opponents, and hailed Andrea Pirlo as the best player in the world.
"English football, as a business, with the stadiums, everything around it and the behaviour of the fans, is about 30 years ahead of us," The Mirror quotes Diamanti as saying.
"However, on the pitch, Italy are stronger than England and our football is of a higher quality.
"We respect England, but we don't fear them. Andrea Pirlo is the best player in the world."
Roy Hodgson's Three Lions take on the Italians on Sunday (June 24).
Written by
Mark Langshaw
Mark Langshaw
