France take on Italy in the World Cup final in Berlin on Sunday as the Azzurri look to avenge their previous two devastating defeats at Euro 2000 and the 1998 World Cup.

Here Chris Roberts looks at some of their previous meetings.

FRANCE 2 ITALY 1 (AET) - Euro 2000 final

Sylvain Wiltord and David Trezeguet are names that all Italians, Dino Zoff in particular, will bitterly remember.

France, having ridden their luck and been just a minute of normal time away from a tame defeat against Italy, completed a remarkable comeback to become the first reigning world champions to secure the European Championship trophy.

As Manchester United will tell you, never discount a pair of substitutes even when you are 1-0 down deep into injury-time.

For the supposedly impregnable defence which had carried Italy to the final collapsed twice. It conceded a last-minute equaliser to Wiltord, who had come on to replace Christophe Dugarry.

And it then folded a second time 13 minutes into extra-time when Trezeguet, a 75th-minute replacement when the game was slipping away, smashed a shot into the top corner from a cross by Robert Pires, the third French replacement.

FRANCE 0 ITALY 0 (AET, France won 4-3 on penalties) - World Cup 1998 quarter-final

France moved into the semi-final after winning a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Eliminated by spot-kicks in both the 1990 semi-final against Argentina and the 1994 final against Brazil, the Azzurri left France '98 the same way after a 0-0 draw as the French reached the Cup semi-finals for the first time in 12 years.

Defender Laurent Blanc netted the shoot-out decider after Luigi Di Biagio crashed Italy's fifth attempt against the bar.

Zinedene Zidane, Trezeguet and Thierry Henry converted their kicks for France. Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Costacurta and Christian Vieri converted for Italy.

FRANCE 2 ITALY 0 - World Cup 1986 second round

Michel Platini and Yannick Stopyra scored goals in either half to send the Italians crashing out of the finals early.

That remains the last time a side has put the Azzurri out of the World Cup finals inside 90 minutes.

FRANCE 1 ITALY 2 - World Cup 1978 first round

The Italians came from a goal behind to book their place in the second round of the competition.

Bernard Lacombe had put France ahead but Paolo Rossi and Renato Zaccarelli turned the match around as the Azzurri went on to reach the second round.

FRANCE 1 ITALY 3 - World Cup 1938 quarter-final

Eventual winners Italian signalled their intentions with a victory to surge into the last four.

Gino Colaussi put them ahead early on but an equaliser from Oscar Heisserer could not even knock them off their stride as a Silvio Piola emerged the hero with a double.