Lippi urges fans to cheer Italy

ITALY coach Marcello Lippi has urged the country’s disaffected fans to get behind their team ahead of their World Cup opener against Ghana tonight.

The team have tried to put the domestic match-fixing controversy behind them by training behind closed doors this week in Duisburg, a move that has upset many Azzurri fans.

The Azzurri go into the competition on the back of a 17-game unbeaten run but have struggled to show their best form in the warm-up games against Switzerland and Ukraine.