Italy v Argentina: Teams

Italy and Argentina go head to head in Verona on Saturday, with both teams desperate to open their November Test account with a win.

Italy will be looking to end a run of four straight home defeats to Argentina, with the Pumas having won seven of the last nine meetings between the teams, although the Azzurri have won two of the last three in South America.

Both sides face some stern challenges ahead, with Italy up against three teams ahead of them in the IRB rankings: Argentina (eighth), Australia (second) and Fiji (tenth) in their last internationals before next year's Six Nations.

The Pumas' fixture list isn't any easier, but they will have circled Saturday's clash with their Latin rivals as the one which could present less of a challenge compared to France and Ireland later in the month.

On form, Argentina will enter Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi with a spring in their step after thumping the French 41-13 back home in June but need to ensure that their play takes off from where they left off.

Defeats

The hosts can't boast such a feat this year after a two-Test series defeat to South Africa in June, with Italy's last win coming in February against Scotland - their first Six Nations win in two years.

Italy will be without Mauro Bergamasco after the star flanker, who has 84 caps, suffered a shoulder injury in training on Tuesday.

Sergio Parisse, who missed this year's Six Nations with ruptured knee ligaments, will captain the side from No.8 after recovering from a neck problem, and he will be joined in the back row by flanker Robert Barbieri, who returns to the Italy side two years after winning his last cap.

There are also recalls for prop Andrea Lo Cicero, lock Santiago Dellape and fly-half Luciano Orquera, who all return after lengthy spells away from the national set-up, but the biggest surprise in Nick Mallett's starting XV is 19-year-old uncapped winger Tommaso Benvenuti, who recently impressed in the Heineken Cup for Benetton Treviso.

Argentina are also without a star man as fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez is still suffering a thigh problem, meaning skipper Felipe Contepomi will continue wearing the number ten shirt.

Second-rower Patricio Albacete is also missing through injury and Mariano Galarza will instead line-up alongside Biarritz's Manuel Carizza at lock.

Domestic-based players Miguel De Achaval and Genaro Fessia fill the two flanker spots while an inexperienced front-row contains props Martin Scelzo and Rodrigo Roncero and hooker Mario Ledesma.

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti , 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Santiago Dellape', 19 Paul Derbyshire, 20 Pablo Canavosio, 21 Luciano Orquera, 22 Alberto Sgarbi.

Argentina: 15 Martin Rodriguez, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 10 Felipe Contepomi (c), 9 Nicolas Vergallo; 8 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Miguel De Achaval, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Martin Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Esteban Lozada, 20 Álvaro Galindo, 21 Alfredo Lalanne, 22 Horacio Agulla.