The Azzurri face a mammoth task in trying to claim their first ever away win in the competition, but Bollesan is more than happy with the tag of underdog.

The Italians are expected to play a forward-based game, while the Irish will look to utilise the likes of Brian ODriscoll and Geordan Murphy in their three-quarter line.

And Bollesan is confident his team will be able to exploit any mistakes the home side may make.

We are going into the game with the right attitude, Bollesan said.

Even if we know Ireland are favourites to win the game, Im sure were going to make an impact.

They (Ireland) must win the game to keep alive their ambitions of winning the tournament, and this could be a great chance for us, especially if they start to put width on the ball - we will be ready to take our chance.

Italian prop Andrea Lo Cicero is also raring to go for the match in Dublin.

The Conad L'Aquila forward has established himself as a cornerstone of the Italian pack after making his debut against England in 2000 and he cant wait to get this years tournament off and running against Eddie O'Sullivan's men.

For me, this is a great place to begin the RBS 6 Nations, to start the campaign at Lansdowne Road will be a fantastic sensation, he said.

I'm sure the Irish will be waiting for us but they wont get a straightforward victory to get off to a winning start in this tournament.

The Italians have been widely tipped to pick up the wooden spoon for a second successive year, but Lo Cicero insists his side are out to start their campaign with a win.

It will a tough match for both teams, they are playing at home, but we are going on to the pitch with no fear. We respect them a lot, but a good start from us could be vital for our tournament progress.

Personally I feel very good at present, which hopefully will be helpful to my team. We trained well all week, I believe this will be a great game to watch and maybe we can cause a surprise result.''

Meanwhile, Treviso flanker Silvio Orlando has been called up to replace Calvisanos Alessandro Zanni, who has been sidelined with a back injury.