Italy v Argentina:ITALY WILL be looking to end a run of four straight home defeats to Argentina when the teams meet today at the Bentegodi stadium in Verona.
The Pumas have won seven of the last nine meetings between the teams, including all four of those in Italy, although the Azzurri have won two of the last three in South America.
But it is this losing home sequence the Italy players are particularly keen to put to bed.
“We just hope we win on Saturday to put an end to this series of strange results, us winning there but losing here,” said Argentine-born prop Martin Castrogiovanni.
“I think we can do it but we have to play the perfect game, we have to put them under pressure.”
Today’s clash presents Nick Mallett and his charges a chance to start fresh and turn the table on their past results ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
Mallett believes this month’s games, less than a year before rugby’s biggest spectacle, are crucial.
“The first autumn international will be very important,” he said. “Argentina are at the same level as us and if we exploit home advantage, we can beat them.
“In 2008 in Turin we weren’t great, but in Verona we must do better than two years ago (a 22-14 defeat).
“They’re very strong up front and have great individuals but we have to avoid playing to their strengths and attack them with the ball in hand.
“That could make the difference.”
And that is one area that Mallett admits that the team needs to improve.
“We need to improve our running game. New Zealand’s front five all play like backrowers; we have forwards who are very good in the scrum and in closed situations but we have to improve in other areas of the game or we’ll struggle to score tries.”
Both sides will be missing crucial players as Italy have lost flanker Mauro Bergamasco to a shoulder injury while Pumas out-half Juan Martin Hernandez is still suffering a thigh problem.
ITALY: L McLean; T Benvenuti, G Canale, A Masi, M Bergamasco; C Gower, T Tebaldi; S Perugini, L Ghiraldini, M Castrogiovanni, C Antonio Del Fava, Q Geldenhuys, A Zanni, R Barbieri, S Parisse (capt). Replacements: F Ongaro, A Lo Cicero, S Dellape, P Derbyshire, P Canavosio, L Orquera, A Sgarbi.
ARGENTINA: M Rodriguez; G Camacho, G Tiesi, S Fernandez, L Gonzalez Amorosino; F Contepomi (capt), N Vergallo; R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, M Carizza, M Galarza, G Fessia, M De Achaval, J Fernandez Lobbe.
