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Spain’s bid for a historic hat-trick of titles begins against the Italians in Gdansk on Sunday.
And Pique insists the Spanish cannot afford to give Balotelli an inch. He said: “We will have to keep a very close eye on him.
“Balotelli is a player that can win you a game.
“He is a player that can take the ball and score when you least expect it.”
Italy’s plans were thrown into disarray by the match-fixing scandal that saw left-back Domenico Criscito thrown out of the squad.
The Azzurri then 3-0 to Russia last week — their third defeat on the trot.
But Pique says the Italians — who won the 1986 and 2006 World Cups after similar scandals — are still contenders.
The Barcelona man added: “Italy are more dangerous when they appear not to be.
“They are going to be a very difficult rival, that will qualify and will be fighting for the tournament.
“It seems as Italy is hurt, not focused but that is not the case.
“Just when you think they will not do a good job, they do the best job.
“They are one of the top teams in Europe and in the world and we will have to be focused.”
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