World-Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi is bidding to equal the world record for coaching success in Wednesday night's friendly against Greece in Athens.
If Italy wins or draws, Lippi will have the longest unbeaten run in world soccer - 31 games - along with Alfio Basile of Argentina and Spain's Javier Clemente.
With a World Cup qualifying win against Montenegro last month Lippi equalled the legendary Vittorio Pozzo's record of 30 matches without loss for an Italy coach.
A positive result in the Greek capital could set the stage for Lippi to set the new world mark against the toughest rival of all, Brazil, on February 10 at Wembley.
Lippi has made only one squad change for Greece, drafting in uncapped 26-year-old Udinese midfielder Giuseppe D'Agostino.
Keeping faith with a relatively young squad, Udinese winger Simone Pepe and clubmate Fabio Quagliarella get a vote of confidence along with Villarreal's in-form Giuseppe Rossi.
Bayern Munich's Luca Toni keeps his place despite criticism but there is still no room for back-to-his-best Juventus skipper Alessandro Del Piero, 34, or 26-year-old 'eternal promise' Antonio Cassano of Sampdoria.
Del Piero's absence is no surprise, however, as Lippi has made it clear he wants to see new blood.
The coach acknowledged that Del Piero was in ''brilliant'' form but added: ''the reconstruction of the Azzurri must follow other paths and I have to look at the date on the birth certificate''.
''I want to freshen up the team and...discover some new people''.
Cassano, despite good form for his club, may have done himself no favours with disciplinarian Lippi with a tell-all 'autobiography' claiming 700 notches to his lover-boy belt including several girls smuggled into the Italy training camp.
World champions Italy have made a sometimes wobbly but successful start to Lippi's second stint in charge, winning three and drawing one of their first four World Cup qualifiers to top Group Eight.
Greece are top of Group Two after three wins and a loss. Italy squad: Goalkeepers: Gianluca Curci (Siena), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray). Defenders: Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus). Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Gaetano D'Agostino (Udinese), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma). Forwards: Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich).
