ABU DHABI // Fernando Stile considers himself lucky — he is, after all, Italian.
His country's national team lies behind only Brazil in terms of World Cup wins, with the Azzurri having four tournament triumphs in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006.
"In Italy, we are just sick [for] football," he said.
Mr Stile, who has worked as a factory manager in Abu Dhabi Industrial City for three years, also plays the game recreationally himself, three times per week.
This year is a far cry from 2010, when Italy finished last its group, behind Paraguay, Slovakia and even New Zealand.
In Brazil, the team is a favourite to progress through the first stage in 2014, despite being drawn in a tough group with Uruguay, Costa Rica and England. Although beating England 2-1 put them off to a good start.
"We will at least make the semi-final round," said Mr Stile, 36. "I'm optimistic."
But even he, like other Italians, admits a World Cup victory is unlikely for the team this year, with the likes of Spain, Argentina, Germany and, especially with their home advantage, Brazil to beat.
"The Brazilians will be very excited to win their seventh cup," he said. "So let's see."
Corrado Sommariva, from Genoa, said he hopes this year will prove better than Italy's previous showing because of its new coach, Cesare Prandelli. Mr Prandelli is humble, unlike his predecessor Marcello Lippi.
"To do worse than what we did in 2010 is really difficult. But we have a challenging initial group," said Mr Sommariva, 52, who manages a consultancy company in Abu Dhabi, where he has lived for the past 20 years.
The new coach has brought harmony back to the team, he said.
"We have a lot of good players, but a few primadonnas," said Mr Sommariva.
Mr Stile favours players from Naples, where he is from, such as 22-year-old winger Lorenzo Insigne, who plays his club football for Napoli.
Another fan, Giuseppe Izzo, sees star players such as midfielder Andrea Pirlo and striker Mario Balotelli as the team's likely match winners. But he believes Italy will probably fall short against the other big names.
"I don't think that we are on par with other nations like Spain, Brazil or even Argentina, who are a little bit better, even on an individual level," said Mr Izzo, 50, a manager at a communications company who has lived in the UAE seven years with his family.
His whole family loves football — he took his three sons, ages 4, 8 and 12, to the Al Ain–Manchester City friendly in May.
Although Italy may be somewhat unfavoured, Izzo believes the team performs better when they are less burdened by expectations.
"The last two times we won, 1982 and 2006, we were not among the top-ranked teams," he said.
If the team get through the first round, they could be returning home with their fifth trophy in hand, said Mr Izzo. "It all depends on how we start."
The Italians typically favour defence, focussing on the counter-attacks and saving their energy in the beginning.
"Germany are always attacking, attacking, attacking," said Mr Izzo. "You have to be very careful when using your energy."
The beauty of football is that a single player can make a huge difference with a moment of magic, he said.
"In Italy, we say the ball is round — a little bit of luck, the motivation of the team, and the whole scenario can change," said Mr Izzo.
lcarroll@thenational.ae