It was a case of blink and you'll miss them as the star-studded Italians arrived in Dublin yesterday. Having touched down in Dublin shortly after dinner time, they were whisked to Lansdowne Road under Garda escort for a leisurely stroll around the old stadium.

As the players took to the pitch - many of them looking somewhat bemused by their surroundings - their manager, Marcello Lippi, seemed determined to get the press conference with the Irish media and the stop-off out of the way as quickly as possible.

Indeed, so eager was Lippi that he left behind his two translators , both of whom had failed to spot the silver-haired 57-year-old slip off toward the Havelock Square end.

Inside, silence filled the room. Lippi looked down at us from his elevated platform, smiling politely, fidgeting. Proceedings were swiftly underway, however, when the duo arrived after some window prompting from the manager.

Italy sit on top of World Cup qualifying Group 5 with 13 points from six games played and enjoy a four-point lead over Norway and Slovenia. Scotland are their next opponents though and the manager sees today's game as "ideal preparation" ahead of that game on September 3rd.

"Ireland are doing very well in the World Cup qualifiers," he said. "I wish you all the best in qualifying. You have a lot of good players and I think the Irish team is very similar to Scotland so this will be great preparation for us."

Tonight's game serves a double purpose, however, because the Italian season begins in just under a fortnight and match practice is urgently required ahead of the visits to Scotland and then Belarus four days later.

His side has played three games since June - one qualifier and two friendlies, all three of which were drawn - and he freely admits his players' lack of fitness could prove their undoing in Dublin.

"In Italy we are training for the start of the season. We have played only a few friendly games and I think we probably won't be at our best here. Obviously Ireland will be more ready for the game and because of this I plan to use all my players in the match. We have these problems but we must deal with them and move on."

Without goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Roma's Francesco Totti (fever) and Mauro Camoranesi of Juventus (bruised leg), Lippi said he'll use the game to "check out my options" in those positions.

Buffon will miss the opening three months of the season with Juventus because of a shoulder injury suffered against AC Milan in a friendly last Sunday and will undergo an operation today.

Morgan De Sanctis is expected to start in goal while Daniele De Rossi and the returning Alessandro Del Piero should also be in from the beginning.

Lippi expressed his disappointment at being unable to renew acquaintances with Robbie Keane, who misses out tonight because of an ankle injury. As Inter Milan manager, Lippi signed Keane from Coventry five years ago.