Two heavyweights, Spain and Italy will slug it out for supremacay in the Group B of the 2024 European Championship on Thursday night.
Spain opened their campaign in the competition with an impressive 3-0 win over Croatia,while Italy rallied back from a goal down to beat Albania 2-1.
The Spaniards will be hoping to continue their impressive run of form, which has seen them lost just one of their last 11 competitive games.
They are blessed with a mixture of experience and young exciting players with Barcelona’s 16-year-old making history as the tournament’s youngest-ever player against Croatia.
The Italians are the defending champions of the competition, and they are one of the favourites in Germany, They have also lost one out of their last 12 matches under Luciano Spalletti.
The two-time winners of the competition are unbeaten in 10 games. The run began with a 2-0 win over Spain in 2016, their last defeat in the competition was eight years ago against the Republic of Ireland.
Italy have lost just one of their last 10 matches against Spain.
The Italians no longer parade the star-studded cast they are known for but they can still call on few experienced players like Jorginho, Chielsa and Scamacca.
The winner of the tie will book a place in the next round with six points and a potential opportunity to top the group.
Spain vs Italy: What The Coaches Said
Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente revealed that the team is hungry for more success despite their impressive win over Croatia.
He said: “[The Croatia win] was a complete performance inspired by the competitive genes which run through this team, both the young guys and the experienced ones who’ve won almost everything in football but are still super hungry and committed. I want to emphasise the attitude, generosity and ambition of this team: they are unquenchable traits.”
Italy coach, Luciano Spalletti is looking forward to the mammoth clash between the two rivals.
Luciano Spalletti, Italy coach said, “I’ve been through some important games but this is right up there. This is one of those matches that could give the players a tale to tell in the future. Spain have got everything, absolutely everything. They always do things in the same way, and we need to more reactive. I’m curious to see what happens when they press with 11 men, how we respond to that.”
Spain vs Italy Form Guide
Spain: W-L-D-W-W-W