Euro 2020 Spain Vs. Italy Preview

After nearly a month of fabulous football at EURO 2020, it seemed almost inevitable that Spain and Italy would meet at some point in the competition.

This will mark the fourth consecutive EURO that the Azzurri face off against La Furia Roja in the knockout stages of the tournament, this time with a berth to the final on the line.

While Spain’s foray into the semifinals is a bit of a surprise, given their relatively young age and lack of “big game” experience at the national level, Italy has been on a mission since failing to qualify for the World Cup in 2018.

They are currently in the midst of a 32 game unbeaten streak, including 13 straight wins, and have looked downright unstoppable at times throughout this tournament. Under head coach Roberto Mancini, the Azzurri have embraced an attack first philosophy that has, at times, overwhelmed opponents, and is reminiscent of Spain’s “Tiki Taka” brand of football.

Spain, for their part, have frustrated their supporters with an ongoing Jekyll and Hyde act where they look unbeatable one minute, and absolutely pedestrian the next. They have won only two of their five matches in this tournament.

Italian Left Back Roberto Spinazzola, who is the fastest player in this tournament and one of the main components of the Italian attack, will be out for the foreseeable future after tearing his achilles in the quarterfinal matchup against Belgium.

“I wish he’d never got injured and could play at Wembley because the way I understand it, the more great players on the pitch the better for football,” Spain coach Luis Enrique said on Monday.

Spain, for its part, is not without injuries. La Furia Roja will be without starting winger Pablo Sarabia, who suffered an abductor muscle strain against Switzerland.

Despite their recent success, Italy has not been particularly good against Spain in recent years. In fact, they’ve been utterly abysmal. The Azzurri have only beaten Spain twice in their last fourteen meetings, and were so thoroughly dominated in the 2012 EURO final (4-0) by La Furia Roja, that the score still stands at the biggest beat down in the history of the title game.

European governing body UEFA found itself in the unenviable position of having to slash ticket prices to one of its premier matchups because it is having trouble selling out, according to The Athletic. Covid restrictions barring Italians and Spaniards from entering the United Kingdom is undoubtedly a major factor.

Spain and Italy face off Tuesday, July 6 at 3 p.m. ET. You can watch the action unfold live on ESPN and Univision.