Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been ruled out of the Azzurri's match against New Zealand due to a herniated disc in his back.

The world's most expensive goalkeeper was substituted at half-time in Italy's World Cup opener against Paraguay due to the problem, with Federico Marchetti taking his place. Marchetti now looks set to feature against the All Whites in Nelspruit on Sunday.

"The hernia is small, but even a small hernia can cause great pain. It's not easy to make a prognosis but it's a small margin and Buffon strongly wants to recuperate," said Italy's medical chief Professor Enrico Castellacci.