Buffon, the Juventus stopper, suffered a herniated disc and is out indefinitely after being substituted during his team’s 1-1 draw with Paraguay in their World Cup Group F opener.

He will miss Sunday’s match against New Zealand in Nelspruit and almost certainly their final group game against Slovakia on June 24 in Johannesburg.

“Gigi has charisma,” said Chiellini.

“He gives strength to others. His saves’ worth are like goals from strikers.

“I know what it means for him to play at the World Cup.

“We miss Gianluigi as a man and we hope he will recover as soon as possible.”

However, the Juventus defender believes Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti will be a good replacement.

“Federico has matured,” said Chiellini.

“He proved against Paraguay that he is a good goalkeeper and he is calm and ready to help the team.”

Chiellini believes the team will improve as the tournament goes on (8/15 Italy – Group F winner).

“Italy can do well,” he said. “We want to score more goals and we will continue to grow as a team.

“Perhaps the draw between New Zealand and Slovakia is a point in our favour but we will have to show a lot of strength to beat New Zealand and finish first of our group in order to avoid facing Holland in the next round.”

Chiellini expects a tough match against New Zealand, a side Italy faced last year in a friendly in Pretoria which ended 4-3 in favour of the reigning world champions.

“New Zealand are a very physical side, mentally strong and dangerous in dead-ball situations,” Chiellini said.

“They take few risks and I remember last year they scored two goals against us because of dead-ball situations.

“We need to bring more flair in attack and take more shots.

“I don’t want to think about a draw.”

Italy will also be without playmaker Andrea Pirlo for the clash against New Zealand but are hopeful the AC Milan man will return in time for the match against Slovakia.

Meanwhile, Marchetti says he is worried about the official Jabulani ball ahead of his first ever World Cup start.

The 27-year-old Cagliari goalkeeper said: “We know the ball does unexpected things and the goalkeepers, like defenders and strikers have to expect a change of trajectory or a strange bounce.

“The pitches are heavily watered so the ball skips off the surface really quickly and hence that makes things much harder.”

Marchetti also agreed with England coach and compatriot Fabio Capello that this is the worst ball he’s ever played with.

He added: “It’s a difficult ball, I think it’s the worst. Gigi (Buffon) and Morgan (De Sanctis) who have played in previous World Cups and have the experience of other balls say it’s the worst of all time.

“The thing that makes you understand just how bad it is, is that all players are complaining about it.

“The flight changes unexpectedly. High balls, low balls, the flight is not that of a normal ball.

“It’s difficult to read and goes faster than normal balls.”

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Italy

The Juventus keeper has been struggling with a nerve problem in his back and was forced to come off at half time in the world champions’ unimpressive 1-1 draw against Paraguay on Monday.

The 32-year-old was confident the injury was only minor and he would be available for the Azzurri’s next Group F game against New Zealand on Saturday (Italy to win 4-0 – 10/1) but now there are suggestions he may miss the rest of the tournament.

A statement later released by the Italy camp read: “It’s impossible to estimate when he might return.”

If Buffon is ruled out, Federico Marchetti, who came on at the break against Paraguay, is expected to stay in goal as Marcelo Lippi’s men look for a better showing against New Zealand.

Italy have been criticised for their lacklustre display on Monday but Lippi was keen to stress the positives and insisted they deserved more than a point in their opening game.

“Italy is right here. We’re here tactically, physically, with our hearts, we’re here full stop,” he said.

“I just regret that we did not get the points we deserved, but sometimes that’s what happens, you get less than you deserve.”

He added: “The important thing is this was not a decisive game. What is important is that people now realise we are here and have got our act together.”

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