Heavyweights Italy and France, used to battling it out with a trophy at stake, will face each other tonight with the prize of merely surviving the group stage at Euro 2008 to fight for.

The final act in Group C will see one of the last two World Cup finalists, or maybe both, on the tournament scrapheap after their showdown on Zurich's Letzigrund pitch.

The pair's fate is out of their hands with unfancied Romania certain to qualify if it beats Netherlands. The Dutch outplayed Italy and France in quick succession to make sure of winning the group.

France, struggling to find the right mix between aging stalwarts and promising youngsters, will go through only if it overcomes its Latin rival and Romania does not beat the Dutch.

Apart from a win, Italy, which has also looked rusty and surprisingly vulnerable at the back, might just squeeze through with a scoring draw, or even with a goalless draw, providing Romania loses 0-3 or by a four-goal margin.

The match would have been dramatic enough in any circumstances, Italy having beaten France on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final featuring Zinedine Zidane's infamous head-butt, to name just one episode in its colorful history.

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily June 17, 2008)