Group C: Back seat driver

With Totti installed as number ten and playmaker, Juve man Del Piero will be forced to play an unfamiliar wide midfield role - but he claims he doesn't mind a bit.

"It's not the first time that [coach Giovanni Trapattoni] has shown his preference to Totti, and it doesn't worry me that much.

"Ever since childhood I have experienced situations when somebody tells you who is better between you and another player, so it doesn't affect me."

Roma captain Totti was preferred to lead the attack in the 2002 World Cup, but Del Piero was able to impress sufficiently as a substitute play his way into the side for the Azzurri's second round debacle against South Korea.

Such magnanimity is welcome in a squad rumoured to be rife with jealousy.

Gennaro Gattuso opened hostilities in a previously tranquil squad when he hit out at Trapattoni for leaving him and Milan team Andrea Pirlo out of the starting line-up.

The combative midfielder's declared it "absurd" and "banal" that Pirlo was overlooked in favour of Simone Perrotta and Cristiano Zanetti, and his comments are believed to have upset many in the squad.

The situation has become so tense that on Friday captain Fabio Cannavaro delivered a public admonition to the press for spreading rumours, threatening not to speak to them if such stories continue.

None of this is new for Del Piero, who has spent ten years among the madness that is the Italian national team. He deflected allegations that Trapattoni has lost control of the squad while admitting the fragility of the Italian peace.

"In this group there are as many delicate and competitive situations as I have ever seen within the national team, from the goal keeper to the forward going through the midfielders and defenders. There's so much quality in this team and it's going to be a very hard situation to manage for the coach"

Despite the controversy over Trap's starting eleven, Italy have undoubted quality throughout their squad and are hot favourites to progress from a moderate group comprising themselves, Denmark, Sweden and Bulgaria.

Denmark are without influential winger Jesper Gronkjaer, but know that if they can expose the cracks in the Italian psyche a famous win could be theirs for the taking.

DENMARK (4-2-3-1): 1 Thomas Sorensen - 6 Thomas Helveg, 4 Martin Laursen, 3 Rene Henriksen, 5 Niclas Jensen - 7 Thomas Gravesen, 14 Claus Jensen - 10 Martin Jorgensen, 19 Dennis Rommedahl, 9 Jon Dahl Tomasson - 11 Ebbe Sand.

ITALY (4-4-2): 1 Gianluigi Buffon - 2 Christian Panucci, 5 Fabio Cannavaro, 13 Alessandro Nesta, 19 Gianluca Zambrotta - 20 Simone Perrotta, 4 Cristiano Zanetti, 7 Alessandro Del Piero, 14 Stefano Fiore - 10 Francesco Totti, 9 Christian Vieri.

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Captain Olof Mellberg has pledged to play through the pain barrier to help Sweden realise their dream of a successful Euro 2004. The 26-year-old centre back has not fully recovered from ligament damage in his left heel, but remains confident that he can do himself justice.

"I am in pain but I can keep it at such a level that I can play," he told the Uefa website. "I just have to focus on other things. It doesn't bother me, I just go out and play my game."

Once again the Swedes are unfancied, but have an excellent chance of progression to the knock-out stages if they can subdue a lively Bulgarian side in Lisbon on Monday evening, live on Eurosport.com at 20:45 CET.

Henrik Larsson makes his long-awaited return to competitive international football as he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic bid to add a little sparkle to an otherwise solid but uninspired outfit.

SWEDEN (4-4-2): 1 Andreas Isaksson - 5 Erik Edman, 4 Johan Mjällby, 3 Olof Mellberg, 2 Teddy Lucic - 6 Tobias Linderoth, 16 Kim Källstrom, 9 Fredrik Ljungberg, 7 Mikael Nilsson - 10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 11 Henrik Larsson.

BULGARIA (4-4-1-1): 1 Zdravko Zdravkov - 4 Ivailo Petkov, 18 Pedrag Pazin, 3 Rosen Kirilov, 7 Daniel Borimirov - 17 Martin Petrov, 15 Marian Hristov, 19 Stilian Petrov, 13 Georgi Peev - 10 Velizar Dmitrov, 8 Dimitar Berbatov.