It's win or die for Italy and France

(BEIJING, June 17) -- Italy will take on France at 20:45 on June 17 at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Switzerland. The match brings back memories of the two teams' encounter in the 2006 World Cup final. For the World Cup champion and runner-up, this will be an embarrassing meeting as both teams are struggling to advance from the bottom rungs of Group C.

Currently, the Netherlands tops the group with 6 points, which assures the "Oranje" a berth in the knockout stage. Romania comes in second with 2 points and a goal difference of zero.

Italy and France both each have only 1 point and a goal difference of -3.

Both teams desperately need a victory to retain the hope of advancing in the 2008 UEFA tournament, and the winner will only have a chance of continuing if Romania fails to win another Group C match against the Netherlands.

French footballer Franck Ribery has expressed his confidence and determination. Speaking at Sunday's news conference, the FC Bayern Munchen player was quoted as saying by the 2008 UEFA website: "We're still here and it's vital we keep on believing ... We need to give absolutely everything we've got against Italy, win the game, and make the most of the small chance we still have."