Italy star Gianluigi Buffon believes that the Azzurri are capable of beating anyone and says they will target the trophy in Brazil 2014.
The Italians reached the semi-final of the Confederations Cup and Buffon believes it was a good preparatory exercise ahead of the World Cup.
“We showed we’re a good team that’s able to compete on an equal footing against anyone, which is a great quality to have.
“Another advantage is that we have a fantastic group of players, and that isn’t always the case in a team, especially at international level.”
While Italy were entertaining to watch in Brazil, Buffon is the first to admit that plenty of hard work awaits over the next year if Prandelli’s men are to challenge for World Cup glory.
“We’re a side that’s been improving steadily over the last few years,” he said.
“We hope to continue that process to be able to get to where we want to be, but for now our focus isn’t on drawing comparisons with other teams, but to reach the level we want to be at for Brazil 2014.
“I think we’re on the right track, but it’s a process so we constantly need to hone the finer details.
“We did well at the Confederations Cup and we upheld the reputation Italy has earned over the years. We’ll try to do the same at the World Cup but we need to be in good form to do so. That’s what we’re working towards.”
