Euro 2024: Spain takes on Italy in Group B Clash of the Titans.
As Spain aims for a historic fourth European championship, they prepare for a titanic clash against defending champions Italy in Group B, set to ignite the Veltins-Arena on June 20 at 20:00 [GMT+1].
Spain
Three-time European champions Spain began their campaign with a commanding 3-0 win over Croatia. Goals from Álvaro Morata, Fabián Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal secured their third consecutive victory following their maiden win at Euro 2024.
With this victory, Spain is currently at the top of their group, ahead of their upcoming match against second-placed Italy on Thursday. Luis de la Fuente's side is aiming for successive victories, bringing them a step closer to their record fourth European championship title in 1964, 2008, and 2012.
This fixture marks the 11th major tournament meeting between Spain and Italy, with the majority occurring in the European championships. After prevailing in their last two Nations League encounters, Spain could achieve an unprecedented third consecutive win over Italy.
The Spanish attack might once again feature a 4—3—3 formation with Nico Williams, Álvaro Morata, and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who earned the MVP award in the previous match against Croatia, making history as the youngest player to participate in a European Championship.
Italy
Italy, on the other hand, suffered an early scare in a 2-1 win after conceding in the first minute against a braver-than-expected Albania. An intercepted throw-in and a fabulous finish from Nedim Bajrami left Italy conceding the fastest goal in European Championship history after just 23 seconds.
However, goals from Italy’s Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella eventually flipped the game on its head. Italy, who are unbeaten in their last 10 European encounters, are now looking to pick up yet another win when they face Spain on Thursday.
"It will be a tough match, and we will have to be good at keeping possession under pressure and contain their wingers when they have the ball," Buongiorno said ahead of Thursday’s game. "But we always have to try to keep playing our game. Yamal? We will have to try to limit him as much as possible because he can hurt us, but I think we can do it," he added.
A 4-2-3-1 formation with Gianluca Scamacca in attack is expected. Chiesa, who picked up the MVP award against Albania, is expected to team up with Davide Frattesi and Lorenzo Pellegrini at the attacking end of the midfield.
Team form
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Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.