The midfielder feels the AC Milan star has plenty of potential and says he will improve even further if he changes his behaviour, Tomas Rosicky believes there is much more to come from Mario Balotelli - but only once he has "calmed down" on the pitch. The two players go head-to-head on Tuesday in World Cup qualification Group B as the Czech Republic take on Italy and the Arsenal midfielder hopes the Balotelli will begin to mature and fulfill his potential.

"I know Balotelli pretty well. Mario has a lot of potential. However, he will be even better if he calms down a bit on a professional level," Rosicky told Tuttosport. "Of course, his age plays a role in his behaviour, but he has already shown that he's a very interesting player at City and Milan. "Italy are very strong tactically and they have two superb strikers.

Balotelli made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the previous encounter between the two nations after he was dismissed in the second half after receiving two yellow cards within the space of four minutes. Czech Republic currently sit third in Group B with nine points from seven games, trailing leaders Italy by eight points and second-placed Bulgaria by one point.