SPAIN face reigning European champions Italy in their second group game this week.
The two sides meet at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.
La Furia Roja kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Croatia at the weekend.
First-half goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal gave Luis de la Fuente’s side the best possible start to the tournament.
Meanwhile, Italy overcame an early scare to beat Albania in their opening match.
Nedim Bajrami came out of nowhere to score the fastest goal in European Championship history just 23 seconds into Saturday’s match, but Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella responded by netting back-to-back goals in five minutes to seal the win.
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Both teams will be eyeing the top spot in Group B ahead of the knockouts.
And a win could see either side all-but guarantee qualification.
What is their form like?
Both teams got off to a winning start in Germany at the weekend.
Spain cruised to a 3-0 win over Croatia, while Italy clinched a 2-1 victory over Albania.
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The Azzurri suffered quite the scare in their opening match after going 1-0 down within the opening minute, so they will have to up the performance levels on Thursday.
Team news
Alvaro Morata was forced off in the latter stages of Spain’s match against Croatia, but the striker has since insisted that he just suffered a knock.
Rodri was also withdrawn during the match due to fatigue.
Aymeric Laporte was not involved at the weekend due to a muscle issue and it remains to be seen whether or not he will return in time for the match against Italy.
Nicolo Fagioli will likely be in contention after missing the opening match due to a bruised fibula.
Aside from that, Italy have no significant injury concerns.
Ones to watch
Lamine Yamal became the youngest footballer to play in a European Championship match when he started for Spain against Croatia.
The 16-year-old provided an exciting spark among the team and managed to set up Dani Carvajal’s goal on the brink of half-time.
Ahead of Thursday’s clash, Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi admitted Yamal is destined to become a “top-class” player.
As for Italy, Nicolo Barella is a threat.
The midfielder scored the winning goal for the Azzurri against Albania last week.
And after the match he was likened to Kevin De Bruyne and Toni Kroos by former Italy Under-21s manager Luigi Di Biagio.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Barella has a different physicality, but he is a mix between the first version of Kevin De Bruyne, who used to play more in central midfield and the first version of Kroos, who made more late runs.”
What has been said?
Following his team’s win over Croatia, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said: “We have the ability to continue to impose our style. We played very well with a high press, which allowed us to get the ball back.
“But one of the characteristics of Spain is our ability to change approaches and that variety is our strength. We have different qualities, different tactical approaches, and that’s an extra difficulty for opponents.
“If you have players with the speed of Lamine [Yamal] or Nico [Williams] or Ferran [Torres], that gives you something else. And the players know that. I have always tried to communicate that.”
Meanwhile, Italy boss Luciano Spalletti wasn’t best pleased with his team’s performance against Albania.
He said: “We saw many good things, but they need to actually take us somewhere, otherwise they are pointless.
“There was the possibility to hurt them several times and we didn’t go for it. We prepared the move well, then passed it backwards. We changed our minds too quickly.”
SunSport prediction
Spain 3-1 Italy
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When is Spain vs Italy?
- Spain’s huge game with Italy at Euro 2024 will take place on Thursday, June 20.
- The Group B clash will kick off at 8pm BST.
- Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen will play host to the match.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
- Spain vs Italy will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD in the UK.
- You can live stream the action from the ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
Can I watch for FREE?
- Yes, Spain vs Italy will be available to watch for FREE on the ITV X app, so long as you have a valid TV licence.
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Odds
- Spain – 5/4
- Draw – 12/5
- Italy 9/4
*Odds courtesy of William Hill and correct at time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
