However, Gary Neville says the England's players risk getting sent off themselves if they try to wind up the Italian nob-head tonight.
Balotelli's notoriously fragile temperament is, in my humble opinion, a legitimate target.
He's a nutter; a showman; a deva; he wants to be noticed ... in other words ... a prick!
So play on it!
Neville: "If you go into the game thinking 'I'll go and try to wind up Balotelli', you could get sent off yourself.
"It's too big a game. Referees nowadays stamp on every little thing that happens - pulling shirts, standing on people's toes.
"Those days are gone. You are just going to get banned for two, three or four matches.
"In past tournaments, when we have got a player sent off it has been a big problem.
"We are concentrating on the way we keep our own composure and discipline and making sure we don't disappoint ourselves rather than what the other team will do.
"I've never gone into a game of football at any level when we've mentioned we will try to wind somebody up.
"He has been very composed in this tournament.
"I've watched a lot of the Italians in the last 48 hours. He plays well with Antonio Cassano up front. They are a real handful.
"Against Croatia, Balotelli was excellent. He made so many good runs down the side.
"With Antonio Di Natale they have got three good forwards who compliment each other.
"It may be a player on the pitch can sense something but the biggest concern about Mario Balotelli for England tomorrow is not whether we can wind him up.
"I can assure you of that."