MARCO Bortolami gazed up at the Murrayfield scoreboard in a mixture of disbelief and apprehension. This is February 2007, and a charged-down kick after 19 seconds and two intercepted passes in two minutes have Italy three converted tries, and fully 21 points, to the good within just six minutes. Boos ring around this Edinburgh stadium, very much a rarity for a generally charitable crowd, but even then the giant Italian lock forward remains on edge. He knows that means there are still another 74 minutes for Italy to negotiate if they want to return home with their first away win in Six Nations history.

Bortolami, now an assistant coach with Benetton Rugby Treviso, won't be at Murrayfield this Saturday but he invoked the spirit of 2007 as he considers today's meeting between those two teams, and another occasion where the odds appear to be stacked against the Italians. Aside from disrupting England's rhythm (and ending with a significantly better outcome than Scotland) with an enterprising tactic of uncontested rucks at Twickenham, Conor O'Shea's transitional Italy team have largely been cannon fodder for the rest of competition this year.

Sitting pointless at the foot of the table, they go in against a Scotland team with much still to play for. Not only are the hosts chasing a bonus point win which could see them claim second place and complete a home clean sweep for the first time since Italy were admitted entry to this competition, they would dearly love to give Vern Cotter an emotional send-off in his last match in charge.

If all of the above are reasons to be fearful from an Italy perspective, Bortolami feels it is important the visitors approach this match as the opportunity it is, with belief that another famous win isn't beyond them, assuming they start the match well. It should be remembered that not only did Italy hold on to take that 2007 win by a 37-17 scoreline, they were winners at Murrayfield in their last Six Nations visit, in 2015.

"It was very, very strange," Bortolami told Herald Sport. "We scored three tries in the first six minutes, and people just couldn't believe what they were seeing. In 15 years of rugby, I had never been in this situation. All the pressure was on us to finish the game, but there were still 74 minutes to go.

"But I think we managed the situation quite well and at the end of the day managed to get Italy's first away win in the Six Nations," he added. "Likewise on Saturday, the Italian players have to believe that they can deliver a good performance, and hopefully win the game.

"I am sure that the Italian team will be up for the job, very motivated. Even if they haven't won a game yet they will see this as an opportunity in front of them. And you should definitely never write them off. They will fight to win the game and if they start the game well, it could be difficult for Scotland. However if Scotland start the game well, it could be very difficult for Italy. Mentally they could lose control of the game."

Scotland-born lock forward George Biagi returns to the Italian starting line-up for a match which puts two teams at differing points in the cycle together. While the Scots are reaching the end of things under Cotter, Conor O'Shea's Italian side are still in the building phase.

"It has been difficult - there have been some periods where Italy played good rugby but haven't been able to maintain the performance on the field," said Bortolami. "And at the end of the day in international rugby if you don't do that the score can be very, very harsh on you. Conor is doing tremendous work on the mental side of the team, because we can see that the players can perform, but they just aren't able to do it throughout the whole 80 minutes.

"I think Scotland - apart from the last game - has played a little bit better than the Italian team," said Bortolami. "But every time that Italy play against Scotland, both teams seem to be very close to each other. The two teams have different motivation. Italy are building a new team under a new coach so you need to see the way they are playing with a little bit of perspective.

"On the other side, Vern Cotter is leaving at the end of this Six Nations. They are at the end of their journey and then the team will take another way. I am sure the Scottish players will be very motivated to say goodbye to their coach.

"It is going to be a tough game for Italy because the Scottish team are very physical at the breakdown particularly," he added. "They play with a lot of flair and try to move it around, and have quick players in the backs. So it is a comprehensive test I would say for this Italian team - to see if they can match the set piece and physicality, and play around the park. On the face of it it looks like a tough task, but as a player you need to sense the opportunities."