Rome, June 5 - Coach Cesare Prandelli says he is unconcerned about Italy's poor displays in their warm-up games with his side set to fly to Brazil for the World Cup Thursday.

The four-time world champions looked uninspired when they drew 1-1 in Perugia against Luxembourg on Wednesday, the first time they failed to beat the 112th-ranked nation in nine encounters.

They also drew 0-0 with Ireland in London on Saturday and have not won any of their last seven games after qualifying for the World Cup with two matches to spare.

The Azzurri have a habit of underperforming in non-competitive games before rising to the occasion at big tournaments.

But their recent showings, especially against Luxembourg's semi-professionals, has raised alarm among Italian fans. After a bright start in which forward Mario Balotelli set up a headed goal for midfielder Claudio Marchisio, Italy seem to have trouble creating a threat with their complex new 4-1-3-1-1 playing system.

The fact that they conceded a late goal from a corner to defender Maxime Chanot may also suggest they need to improve their defending, Italy's traditional strength, especially from dead balls. But Prandelli sees the unimpressive displays merely as a reflection of fatigue from pre-tournament fitness preparation designed to have the players peak in Brazil.

"I'm not disappointed at all and I'm not setting off for Brazil with doubts in my mind," said Prandelli, who led an unfancied Italy team to the final of Euro 2012 two years ago, when they lost to world champions Spain.

"We know that we can have a great World Cup". Despite the overall showing, there were some positive elements for Prandelli to take away from Wednesday's game.

Temperamental striker Balotelli used the relatively small amount of possession he got well.

The 23-year-old hit the crossbar as well as setting up Marchisio and his understanding up front with Antonio Cassano, another volcanic forward, looked good.

Furthermore, Marco Verratti and Andrea Pirlo did not get in each other's way, as Prandelli used two playmakers in midfield after Riccardo Montolivo was ruled out because he broke his leg against the Irish. The Azzurri start their campaign against England in Manaus, a city in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, on June 14.

They travel around 1,450 km to the Atlantic coast for their other two group games, against Costa Rica and Uruguay, in Recife and Natal respectively.