Italy vs. France: 5 Key Battles That Will Shape 2015 Six Nations Clash

Italy rejuvenated their 2015 Six Nations campaign with a memorable Murrayfield triumph last time out, but France threaten to send the Azzurri back to losing ways on Sunday.

Les Bleus travel to Rome as motivated as ever to add to their points tally, having succumbed to Wales on home soil last time out and seeking to clinch just a second victory of the tournament.

In what would be a drastic change of circumstances, an Italy win this weekend would see Jacques Brunel's side move above France in the standings.

However, Italy will need the big guns among their ranks firing on all cylinders if they're to record back-to-back victories. A host of the most critical head-to-head matchups are discussed in more detail over the following slides.

1. Luke McLean vs. Scott Spedding

Brice Dulin marked his return to Philippe Saint-Andre's side with a try against Wales in Week 3, but the Racing Metro player has been dropped from the France squad altogether in favour of Scott Spedding.

The Bayonne man started against Scotland and Ireland, taking on some tough counterparts in the forms of Stuart Hogg and Rob Kearney, but Luke McLean promises to be a simpler obstacle to overcome.

Spedding making his return to a drastically changed France squad, bringing a more imposing physical presence to Les Bleus' lineup, may be a sign of France's intent to utilise the air channels.

McLean's performances at this year's Six Nations have been slightly hit and miss, offering his midfield an experienced running asset at times but being found defensively suspect at others.

Spedding will hope to prove his coach correct to have made the call to reinstate him at No. 15, the full-back being one of numerous French backs with a point to prove in Week 4.

2. Josh Furno vs. Yoann Maestri

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Having been benched for the Week 2 meeting with England, Joshua Furno made his return to Italy's starting XV against Scotland and repaid Brunel's faith with a try just nine minutes into the clash.

Bundling over just minutes after Mark Bennett opened the scoring, the lock was clearly fired up and keen to cement his place in the Azzurri's tight five, and he'll require all of that passion to overcome France's Yoann Maestri.

With Pascal Pape out for the rest of the tournament, Maestri is the senior second row in Saint-Andre's XV, shepherding Toulon's Romain Taofifenua as he takes his first international steps.

Both Furno and Maestri played the full 80 minutes when these two teams met in Paris last year, finishing as two of the three starting forwards to do so—Sergio Parisse was the other.

Flanker Bernard Le Roux was the man used as France's main line-out option against Wales. However, Furno is assured to be a big factor in Italy's set-piece play and in the loose, with Maestri hoping to cancel out his impact in every regard.

3. Luca Morisi vs. Gael Fickou

A hamstring injury means Remi Lamerat won't feature in France's remaining Six Nations fixtures. With Wesley Fofana also out, Maxime Mermoz and Gael Fickou will form a new-look centre partnership for Saint-Andre on Sunday.

At face value, France's lineup could go one of two ways, with Fickou one of numerous talents looking to ensure his fourth international start plays out like a dream and not a nightmare.

Should he and Mermoz be lacking in any fluidity, Italy's Luca Morisi will be only too happy to capitalise on their mistakes after showing some superlative form in the absence of Michele Campagnaro.

With two tries against England, Morisi is the joint-second top try scorer in the competition thus far—alongside Wales' Rhys Webb—and is making waves as one of the Azzurri's latest prodigies.

As fans saw at Twickenham, the Treviso starlet's glamour is based on guile, pace and more than a lick of agility, not too dissimilar to Fickou, who showed his own bag of tricks for patches of last year's tournament.

It makes for an enticing matchup at the Stadio Olimpico, where both Morisi and Fickou should lay on a most athletic head-to-head—the first man to blink could create a match-altering void.

4. Sergio Parisse vs. Yoann Goujon

The talismanic Sergio Parisse will enter the breach against France as Italy's bearer of burdens having played such a monumental role in the 22-19 win over Scotland last time out.

Damien Chouly hasn't hit quite the same heights in the French setup, with Rugby World's Gavin Mortimer among those in agreement that La Rochelle's Loann Goujon is deserving of his start at No. 8.

Having shown excellent form during La Rochelle's Top 14 campaign this season, Goujon may be the hidden asset needed to combat Parisse's all-encompassing ferocity, but it's a major challenge for a man making his first Test start.

Opta's Russ Petty stated that Chouly averaged just 16.5 carrying metres per game in his past six Tests—a tally Parisse eclipses.

As usual, the captain will be looked to as the beacon to guide Italy in their plight against the French, who are hoping Goujon is capable of not only matching but overcoming the exploits of his opposite number.

5. Kelly Haimona vs. Camille Lopez

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A couple of missed penalty attempts from Camille Lopez perhaps proved pivotal in France's third-round loss to Wales, but the Clermont playmaker remains the first option at No. 10 this Sunday.

Brunel has also chosen to stick with the tried and tested Haimona at fly-half, a character who injects some sense of enigma in the position, although not always for the best.

With the Azzurri still searching to find a consistent, 80-minute display from their backs, this might be the week Haimona brings some solidity to his provisional game and aims to reduce his habit of needless kicking.

Dominance in possession will be a crucial component for whichever team emerges victorious in Rome. Both Lopez and Haimona need to keep the ball in hand and straighten their respective lines up, something which neither has done a lot of in recent weeks.