Italy coach Cesare Prandelli confirmed on Monday that diminutive Parma striker Sebastian Giovinco will start for the Azzurri for the first time in Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier against Northern Ireland.
Giovinco -- who stands just 1m64 (5ft 5in) tall -- is preferred to Giuseppe Rossi as partner to AC Milan's Antonio Cassano for the game in Pescara.
"For me his size has never represented a problem," said Prandelli.
"I have always been convinced that if a player is good enough to make it to Serie A then it shows that he is prepared to climb any mountain."
"I never thought that a little guy like Giovinco could not break through," Prandelli went on, adding that he considers the ex-Juventus player to be an out-and-out striker rather than a trequartista (a creative player positioned behind the strikers).
Giovinco has been capped four times as a substitute, all under Prandelli, and has yet to score for Italy despite sitting at the top of the Serie A scorers' charts just now along with Genoa's Argentine frontman Rodrigo Palacio.
Nicknamed the "atomic ant" Giovinco joined Parma from Juventus last year.
Prandelli confirmed the rest of his starting line-up, with Gianluigi Buffon in goal, and his Juventus colleagues Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli in central defence.
Mattia Cassani of Fiorentina and Federico Balzaretti of Palermo will occupy the full-back berths.
Milan's Alberto Aquilani will start in midfield along with Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma) and Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina).
Italy have already qualified for Euro 2012 as winners of qualifying group C.
Source: AFP
