Italy goalkeeper Federico Marchetti is excited about the opportunity to fill in for injured veteran Gianluigi Buffon on Sunday against New Zealand.

Buffon has a herniated disc which forced him to leave Italy's opening game against Paraguay, and Marchetti came on as a substitute to help the Azzurri claim a 1-1 draw.

"I am convinced I can play a good game on Sunday," said Marchetti, the goalkeeper of Serie A side Cagliari. "The other night against Paraguay, I knew that Gigi (Buffon) had a problem and hence I was mentally ready to replace him."