Preview: Italy v France

Italy second row forward George Biagi is determined for his side to earn France's respect when the teams meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday in the Six Nations.

The Azzurri go into the Round Four encounter on a high, following their dramatic 22-19 win against Scotland in Edinburgh a fortnight ago.

France have lost on their last two visits to Rome and Biagi thinks Italy can make another statement this weekend.

"Our impression is that they see us as their poor cousins. We're the black sheep that every family has. So this week we're determined to show them that we are not quite what they believe we are," he told la Gazzetta dello Sport.

Jacques Brunel's side were boosted this week by the return of lock Quintin Geldenhuys, who missed the first three matches of the Championship with a knee ligament injury.

And Biagi, who locks down alongside Geldenhuys on a weekly basis at Zebre, knows how important the strength in depth is at international level.

"I know how much Quintin's return can give us. We have played together for three years and everyone in camp knows how much he can give us on the field. Lock is a very competitive position and that rivalry is good for us all and for the national team – a secure place in the side is no good for anyone.

"All the big squads today have three second rows between the pitch and the bench, who are all of equal standard. Whoever starts or is on the bench has the same importance and will be called on to give a full shift," he added.

For France, Maxime Mermoz and Gaël Fickou get the nod in the centres with Wesley Fofana and Rémi Lamerat injured while Mathieu Bastareaud is on the bench.

Elsewhere Loann Goujon will make his first start for France, replacing Damien Chouly in the starting XV, and coach Philippe Saint-André insists he is delighted with the make-up of his squad ahead of the clash.

"Mathieu had a few little issues at the start of the week but he's fine to be in the 23. Now, Maxime is in great form and Gaël has been with us for a long time. We prefer to use Mathieu as an impact player. He's capable of adding his power but also that final pass as we saw in the game against Wales.

"Loann has fitted in well with the squad. He knows the systems and has been working with Yannick Bru for a long time. He's very powerful, intelligent and also good at offloading. It's his opportunity to show he can play more than 10 or 15 minutes, and we're putting our faith in him.

"We know Damien's qualities, but to be honest, we expect more from him and he knows it. He was very indisciplined against Ireland and we expected more against Wales," Saint-André said.

Players to watch:

For Italy: Sergio Parisse is arguably Italy's best player and is always a good player to watch as he tries to gear up his players. The veteran Leonardo Ghiraldini should maintain the pack's stability and provide a solid base for the backline to fire.

For France: Captain Thierry Dusautoir will be his usual bullish self while Camille Lopez will be looking to keep the backline involved and also find his range with the boot from his first kick. South African-born Scott Spedding will be dangerous with ball-in-hand.

Head to head: All eyes will be on the massive forward packs in the scrums and mauls, especially between Leonardo Ghiraldini and Guilhem Guirado. The game breakers of this match will undoubtedly be the goal-kickers as the game could very well be settled with the final kick of the match.

Recent results:

2014: France won 30-10, Paris

2013: Italy won    23-18, Rome

2012: France won 30-12, Paris

2011: Italy won 22-21, Rome

2010: France won 46-20, Paris

2009: France won 50-8, Rome

2008: France won 25-13, Paris

2007: France won 39-3, Rome

2006: France won 37-12, Paris

2005: France won 56-13, Rome

Prediction: Italy will be brimming with confidence heading into this match, following their victory over Scotland and France will seem vulnerable after suffering their second defeat. France have not won in Rome since 2009 but we expect them to turn that stat around by clinching a narrow three point victory.

Teams:

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Samuela Vunisa, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Josh Furno, 4 George Biagi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.

Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Quintin Geldenhuys, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Enrico Bacchin.

France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Noa Nakaitaci, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Sebastian Tillous-Borde, 8 Loann Goujon, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.

Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Jules Plisson, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Date: Sunday, March 15

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Kick-off: 16.00 (15.00 GMT)

Expected weather: Cloudy with a chance of rain, high of 11.

Referee: JP Doyle (England)

Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Stuart Berry (South Africa)

TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)