Sides unchanged for final

Italy coach Marcello Lippi and his France counterpart Raymond Domenech both named unchanged teams for Sunday evening’s World Cup final in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Domenech fielded the same line-up that has started all four of France’s knockout matches with Zinedine Zidane playing his last match before retirement behind lone frontman Thierry Henry with Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda on the flanks.

Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele occupied more defensive midfield roles in front of a back four of Willy Sagnol, Lilian Thuram, William Gallas and Eric Abidal with Fabien Barthez in goal.

With Alessandro Nesta still struggling with injury, Lippi persisted with the team that beat host nation Germany 2-0 in the semi-final in Dortmund with Francesco Totti playing off Luca Toni.

Italy: Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Grosso, Camoranesi, Pirlo, Gattuso, Perrotta, Totti, Toni.

Subs: Amelia, Barone, Barzagli, De Rossi, Del Piero, Gilardino, Iaquinta, Inzaghi, Nesta, Oddo, Peruzzi, Zaccardo.

France: Barthez, Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal, Ribery, Vieira, Makelele, Zidane, Malouda, Henry.

Subs: Boumsong, Chimbonda, Coupet, Dhorasoo, Diarra, Givet, Govou, Landreau, Silvestre, Trezeguet, Wiltord.

Referee: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (Argentina)