Italy are in prime position of staying at the top of their qualifying group Tuesday afternoon when they take on Malta at 3:45 p.m. ET.

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Via ESPN:

taly are without their suspended Roma duo of striker Pablo Osvaldo and midfielder Daniele De Rossi, with Mario Balotelli expected to partner Stephan El Shaarawy in attack buoyed by his fantastic long-range goal against Brazil last week.

The Azzurri salvaged a 2-2 draw in a Geneva-hosted friendly with a team consisting of Gianluigi Buffon in goal and Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Mattia De Sciglio across a backline that is unlikely to change for tomorrow.

Claudio Marchisio should deputise for De Rossi alongside Andrea Pirlo, Christian Maggio and Riccardo Montolivo but Prandelli is unsure which fourth midfielder he will use at the National Stadium.

''I can't give my formation away because I still have doubts over (Emanuele) Giaccherini and (Alessio) Cerci,'' he added. ''I will make that decision about 30 minutes before the match.''

Malta boss Pietro Ghedin, meanwhile, is demanding total commitment from his players after their dismal showing in Bulgaria.

The Reds are not reknowned for their goalscoring prowess but Friday night represented the first time they conceded more than three goals in a game since November 2009 when, coincidentally, they lost 4-1 to Bulgaria.

Expected Lineups:

Malta: J. Haber , J. Caruana, E. Herrera, A. Muscat, C. Failla, A. Schembri , G. Sciberras, R. Briffa , R. Fenech, M. Mifsud

Italy: G. Buffon, A. Barzagli, L. Bonucci, I. Abate, M. De Sciglio, A. Pirlo, R. Montolivo, C. Marchisio, E. Giaccherini, M. Balotelli, S. El Shaarawy