Italy will surge back into the top 10 of the FIFA World Ranking thanks to their recent victories in Slovenia and Ukraine.
The Azzurri had been out of the top spots since the disastrous 2010 World Cup, but have restored their pride under Cesare Prandelli.
Last month's wins away to Slovenia in the Euro 2012 qualifiers and Ukraine in a friendly helped boost the co-efficient.
The official FIFA rankings will only be announced in a week, but the Gazzetta dello Sport suggests Italy will be in ninth place.
Italy will surge back into the top 10 of the FIFA World Ranking thanks to their recent victories in Slovenia and Ukraine.
The Azzurri had been out of the top spots since the disastrous 2010 World Cup, but have restored their pride under Cesare Prandelli.
Last month's wins away to Slovenia in the Euro 2012 qualifiers and Ukraine in a friendly helped boost the co-efficient.
The official FIFA rankings will only be announced in a week, but the Gazzetta dello Sport suggests Italy will be in ninth place.
They are set to leapfrog Greece and Croatia, which should also boost their chances of a good draw for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
However, it remains very unlikely they'll be among the seeds for the Euro 2012 tournament, as those are held by Spain, Holland and joint hosts Ukraine and Poland.