Nesta will be fit for kick-off

Nesta (left) shares some banter with Teddy Sheringham

Alessandro Nesta has shrugged off a shin injury to assure Italian manager Dino Zoff that he will be available for their first game against Turkey in Arnhem on Sunday.

The Lazio player had picked up the knock during Thursday's training session after going in for a challenge with midfielder Luigi di Biagio.

"It was just a slight knock on my left tibia. We put an ice pack on it last night and it's fine now," said the player.

Nesta regards the challenge of the Turks as serious and refuses to accept that an Italian victory is a foregone conclusion.

"They're a side who are very good technically, they're good up front and they have a top-class centre-forward in Hakan Sukur.

"And they never boot the ball away - they always prefer to play it instead. They're very good players.

They never boot the ball away - they always prefer to play it instead. They're very good players

Italian defender Alessandro Nesta

"If they have the space to play, they'll certainly use it. They keep possession well and have a lot of ball control. We've got to make sure they don't get a chance to do that."

Respect

But Nesta's respect for the talents of the Turks should not, he says, be translated into fear.

"We play in Italy - and all the best players are there. We come up against them every Sunday. Hakan Sukur is very good and I have a lot of respect for him but in our championship we have people like Ronaldo, Batistuta, Vieri..."

Hakan Sukur is a man to watch, according to Nesta

Turkey's preparation for the game is based around a set of tactics that will remain secret until kick-off.

Team spokesman Turgay Vardar said the squad would have two "tactical" training sessions on Friday in the grounds of their hotel on the outskirts of the small eastern Dutch town of Delden.

Closed

"But all are closed to the public and the press because these are the last two training sessions before the match against Italy," insisted Vardar.

"There will be no training here tomorrow, they have to rest and move their camp to Arnhem."

The players have been instructed not to leave their hotel and are spending any spare time playing table tennis or surfing the internet.