Italy’s veteran strikers - Juventus’ captain Alessandro Del Piero and AC Milan forward Filippo Inzaghi - have both stated their intentions of making Marcello Lippi’s Azzuri squad for the World Cup Finals.

With the undeniable talents of Alberto Gilardino and Luca Toni both having emerged as contenders for places in the Azzurri team at the upcoming World Cup, the recent rich form from the two veteran strikers has sent a message for them to think again if they think their places are guaranteed.

Juventus’ Alessandro Del Piero and AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi have 119 caps between them, and have both been hitting the back of the net in recent matches, coming at just the right time to add to Italy coach Marcello Lippi’s selection possibilities for strikers for Germany 2006.

Del Piero, 31, hit a glorious free-kick which earned Juventus a 2-1 win against Inter Milan, extending Juventus’ lead to 12 points, and virtually securing the scudetto for the second year in a row, with three months still to spare.

Inzaghi, 32, has recently had some wonderful displays, and scoring a hat-trick that enabled Milan to come from behind to beat Reggina 1-4. Alberto Gilardino, who is 23, scored Milan's other goal.

The two veteran strikers, who played together for four seasons before Inzaghi left Juventus, have both made it very clear they have no intention of standing aside for the new generation of Italian forwards.

“I hope I keep up this level of form until the World Cup,” said Del Piero, who has scored the winning goals for Juventus in three recent Serie A matches.

Milan’s Inzaghi also thinks he is in with a good chance of making the Azzuri squad for the finals, saying: “I hope to be called up for the World Cup,” said the striker. “It does not cost anything to dream.”

Both players are having to make their bids for World Cup places even though neither striker has a regular place with their respective clubs, so it will be that much harder for them to make an impact on Lippi’s decision for selection.

Juventus’ coach Fabio Capello prefers the striking partnership of Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and French international David Trezeguet, with Del Piero often relegated to the bench.

Despite this, he still managed to become Juventus's all-time top scorer last month, beating the previous record of 182 goals held by the giant of the 1950’s, Gianpiero Boniperti.

He has since taken his goal tally up to 190 and is on course to reach the 200 mark by the end of the season .

“I'm back to the level of my years of magic,” said Del Piero.

“I'm a different Del Piero, I feel a lot more serene. This is down to a number of factors. One of these is certainly my (recent) marriage with Sonia, but there is also the fact that I've understood a striker can't play all the time. In this way I have been re-born (as a player).”

Inzaghi has recently lost his first-team place at Milan because of a string of injuries that have affected him for the last three seasons. Nevertheless, he has scored seven league goals this season.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti may give Inzaghi more starts if his current form continues, with him partnering either Gilardino or Ukraine star Andriy Shevchenko up front.

It is expected that Lippi will include five strikers in his World Cup squad, although three of those places are thought to have already been booked.

AS Roma striker Francesco Totti and Gilardino are considered definite’s to go to Germany, as is Serie A's top-scorer, Luca Toni of Fiorentina, who has already scored 22 league goals so far this season.

At 28, Toni is not actually that much younger than Inzaghi and Del Piero, but he is relatively new to the Azzurri set-up and considered part of the new generation of Italian strikers.

So Inzaghi and Del Piero will have to tussle with other players such as fellow veteran Christian Vieri, and youngster Antonio Cassano for the remaining two forward places.

Vieri has regained his confidence in front of goal since having arrived at Monaco from Milan last month, where he spent most of his time on the bench.

Cassano, meanwhile, needs to get more starts for his new club Real Madrid to revive his chances of a place.

Inzaghi has scored 21 goals for the national team and scored twice in his last outing for the Azzuri in a 4-0 Euro 2004 qualifier against Azerbaijan. Del Piero has notched-up 25 goals for Italy.