Italy coach Cesare Prandelli says the Confederations Cup has been a worthwhile exercise for his players.

Italy will face Uruguay in the third-place playoff today.

"At this moment we are struggling and some players haven't fully recovered yet. We absolutely need to give them fitness tests to understand whether they are available.

"The Confederations Cup helped us to understand that for the World Cup next year we need to be physically at the top of our game.

"We have some players on the very edge of injury like Daniele De Rossi, Giorgio Chiellini and Alberto Gilardino.

"It's good to know that in the World Cup if we are physically fit and prepared in terms of tactics, then we can put any opponent under pressure. We must not get affected by fear. We bring home this experience and knowledge it all depends on us and our approach.

"Having just one or two days with the players during the season would be a real help. This year everyone was running on empty a little bit, so it would've been a real advantage to know that a month earlier."