Euro 2012: Injury to Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini gives England real opportunity for Wayne Rooney to exploit Weaknesses If Juventus centre-half Giorgio Chiellini fails to recover from injury, Italy will be without their most dominant defender, opening an area of weakness for England to exploit. Prandelli admitted after the Ireland victory that the 27-year-old was a major doubt for the quarter-final. And while Pirlo's passing is exceptional in midfield, he appeared ruffled and agitated by the pressure applied by Ireland's Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews. Key man Daniele De Rossi - The Roma midfielder is able to defend and create, but also offers a threat going forward, so England must nullify the 28 year-old. If Chiellini is out, De Rossi could be deployed at centre-half alongside Andrea Barzagli or in a three-man defence, which would automatically diminish his ability to hurt England from midfield. But his inspirational qualities have made him a target of Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Italy believe they can prosper if De Rossi is allowed to assert his authority on the game. Likely formation 4-1-3-2: Prandelli has toyed with 3-5-2, but he is likely to stick with the formation which overcame Ireland.