World Cup champion Italy began training again Monday with new goals in mind.

"After a World Cup victory it's understandable for a bit of a letdown, but we're already thinking about our next objective," captain Fabio Cannavaro said. "We want to win the 2008 European Championship. We haven't won it in a long time."

Italy last won the European Championship in 1968, losing to France on a golden goal in the 2000 final.

The Azzurri open qualifying for the 2008 tournament by hosting Lithuania in Naples on Saturday, the squad's first official match since winning the World Cup. Four days later, Italy visits France for a rematch of the World Cup final.

"It won't be a rematch," midfielder Gennaro Gattuso said. "The rematch will be a European or World Cup final. This is just a game like all the others with three points on the line."

New Italy coach Roberto Donadoni left home nine members of the World Cup squad. Some — like playmaker Francesco Totti — asked not to play. "When the time is right, he'll return," Donadoni said of Totti, whom he met with Saturday.

Others are out of form following long post-World Cup vacations, such as strikers Luca Toni and Vincenzo Iaquinta. Defenders Marco Materazzi and Alessandro Nesta are unavailable.

Materazzi is serving a two-game suspension for provoking Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final and Nesta is still recovering from a right thigh injury that kept him out of the final.

Striker Antonio Cassano, who has struggled to contain his explosive behavior with previous coaches, returned to the team for the first time in more than a year.

"Now he has his chance and I think he's going to want to take advantage of it," Donadoni said. "Cassano is a very simple kid, and like all simple people, you need to talk to him in simple terms. He knows he's made errors in his career. But he's just a kid, with a huge amount of talent."

Sampdoria forward Emiliano Bonazzoli received his first call up and forwards David Di Michele and Tommaso Rocchi were called back after playing in Italy's 2-0 friendly loss to Croatia on Aug. 16. "We veterans have to help Donadoni construct a new group," Gattuso said.

Maintaining the group spirit and teamwork that Italy relied on to win the World Cup is a top priority for Donadoni, a former AC Milan midfielder.