Stop being a pain, Mario! Balotelli lying low in training, but Mancini wants to see striker start for Italy to sink England




Mario Balotelli's efforts to lie low appear to have failed as he continues to dominate the Italian angle of the showdown with England.



Balotelli was subdued as the Azzurri trained in Krakow on Thursday, but everyone was talking about the Manchester City striker and whether he should be recalled to Cesare Prandelli's team.



City boss Roberto Mancini is keen to see him start.



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Chilling out: Mario Balotelli enjoys a rest during the Italian training session in Krakow ahead of facing England

'I suggest to him to play as he knows and not to be such a pain in the **** to the coach,' said Mancini.



'He has to play. No-one else can give England the same problems.'



Balotelli came off the bench to score the second in a 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland and celebrated with a foul-mouthed rant in English, thought to be directed at the Irish fans who had booed him.



Down and out: Italy will hope that Balotelli puts more effort in when he plays against England in Kiev

Defender Leonardo Bonucci came to the rescue, covering Balotelli's mouth with his hand. Prandelli's other big decision concerns his defence in the absence of injured centre half Giorgio Chiellini.



There were suggestions that he may revert to a three-man rearguard but in training yesterday he lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Balotelli and Antonio Cassano in attack.



'Balotelli will want to put one over on England,' said England coach Gary Neville. 'He'll be tough to play against but there will be no surprises for Joleon Lescott.



'The same goes for John Terry who will have played against him.'

Game for a laugh: Balotelli was all smiles during Wednesday's session and later signed autographs for local children

Sunday's match has been billed by the Italian media as the battle of the bad boys, with Balotelli squaring off against England star Wayne Rooney.

Balotelli's Manchester City team-mate Joe Hart said: 'A lot gets made of their off-the-field activities. But I think if the media took an interest in any one of our lives like they did theirs then they'd find interesting things about anyone. They just happen to be the people that people pick on.

' Wayne's a fantastic footballer and, obviously, I've worked closely with Mario and I think he's an exceptional footballer, too. It will be good for everyone to watch those two players doing their thing on Sunday.

However, while Rooney looks certain to start for England, Balotelli's role is unclear after he was dropped for Italy's final Group C game against Republic of Ireland, only to come off the bench and score a typically impudent goal.

That's more like it: A more serious-looking Balotelli proves he is capable of joining in with these body stretches

Hart said: 'He could be a great threat. He's a great player but, as well as me knowing him, more importantly Joleon [Lescott] knows him, who he'll probably come up against if he plays.

' I've seen them battle out in training many times. I've never actually played against the guy but it'll be a lot of fun and it'll be interesting to see what he brings to the table. '

And Hart warned Balotelli he would not be scared to go toe-to-toe with the striker.

'We don't fear anyone,' he said. 'We've not come here to fear anyone or be inferior. We are a good team and we're here to do well.'

VIDEO: See Mario chill out during training and Joe Hart talking about the Italy striker...



