Soccer:Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington is promising Italy "a hell of a game" at Windsor Park next month when the teams meet in a Euro 2012 qualifier.
Worthington was in buoyant mood after his side opened their campaign by defeating Slovenia 1-0 in Maribor on Friday night.
Manchester United midfielder Corry Evans was the match-winner in the 70th minute to stun the hosts, who lost by the same 1-0 margin to England in the World Cup.
Italy are in a transitional period with coach Cesare Prandelli replacing Marcello Lippi after the holders went out at the group stages in South Africa.
They stumbled past Estonia in their first Euro qualifier, coming from behind to record a 2-1 victory.
The game on October 11th cannot come quickly enough for Worthington given Northern Ireland's home record against some of the top nations - England, Spain and Sweden have all been beaten in Belfast in recent years.
"We have three points in the bag and a hell of a game coming up. We will make it that way," he said. "We had people running until they dropped so we could get the victory against Slovenia. That is what makes us hard to beat at times."
Northern Ireland also face Serbia, Estonia and the Faroe Islands in the group and Worthington added:" We have a lot of games to come so we have to be focused and very professional. If we do that we can get good results."