Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro is convinced Italy go into Euro2008 as favourites after their 3-1 victory over Portugal.

"My deflection was incredibly important and I practised it in training! At least it proves Naples doesn't just create rubbish," joked Cannavaro.

"I don't think we used to snub friendlies in other years either, such as when we beat Holland and Germany. The Nazionale has grown so much in recent years, fighting for every game, entertaining, winning and scoring goals.

"The secret is that the new faces come into a group that is already solid and tries to improve with each day. The newcomers see that and settle in to the mentality.

"Victories like this certainly bring confidence and help you to prepare for the tournament. However, we must put the World Cup behind us and not think about it anymore, as this is a different competition with other teams.

"I'd like to follow France in winning the World Cup and European Championship back to back."

Roberto Donadoni notched up his sixth consecutive win with the Azzurri as the warm-up for Euro 2008 continued.

"Donadoni replaced a World Cup winner and did brilliantly to reinvigorate and motivate players who risked falling by the wayside. He has earned all of our respect and admiration," said Cannavaro.