The first semifinals of EURO 2020 is between Italy and Spain, two former world champions and powerhouses that shaped the history of this sport. Azzurri beat Belgium following a massive battle in Munich, while on the other side, Spain had to go through a penalty shootout to eliminate Switzerland. These units are close to perfection when talking about the tactics and technique, and true football fans will enjoy watching them on Tuesday night at Wembley.
Preview
Italy (+150) once again proved its class, eliminating one of the biggest favorites for winning the title. Yes, the Belgian team was crippled with injuries, but that cant’ diminish what we saw at Allianz Arena. Mancini’s side was aggressive, powerful, and what is more importantly, confident. They were the ones who attacked Belgium scoring two goals inside the first 45 minutes.
This was the 32nd contest for the Azzurri in which they haven’t lost, though, after 12, they broke the streak of clean sheets during regular 90 minutes. Still, what needs to be told is that Italy outplayed Belgium’s defense, which did a wonderful job throughout the entire tournament.
The offense turned out to be an equally effective weapon for Azzurri as their defense, and that is something new in their style of play. Mancini moved away from the traditional Italian tactics, adding a few touches. That is why Italy scored at least two goals in nine of the previous 10 games.
Spain (+200) eliminated Switzerland after the penalties, making that their 12th consecutive game without a failure. Even though the penalty shootout started badly for the Red Fury, as time went by, things fell into their place.
We need to say that Luis Enrique’s side had a very good performance and that they dominated during all 90 minutes, plus extra times, but that the Swiss goalkeeper Sommer did wonders in front of the net, preventing the Spaniards from earning their victory earlier.
Spain’s matches are usually very tactical, without some high-intensity periods, as Enrique’s crew tries to keep everything under control, without some rushes or anything similar.
Latest News
Leonardo Spinazzola picked up an injury against Belgium, and he probably won’t be in the protocol for the upcoming match.
There aren’t any injured players among the Spanish team, but if there are some changes until the end of the game, we will update the article.
Head to Head Matches
Italy and Spain met in the 2016 EURO Round of 16, with the Italians eliminating the big rivals, beating them 2-0. Giorgio Chiellini scored one goal in that match, and Graziano Pelle the other.
After that, they played in World Cup qualifiers in 2016 and 2017, with the game in Italy ending 1-1, and Spain trashing the rivals, 3-0 at home.
Also, to remind everyone that back in 2012, these sides met in the EURO finals, and that Spain humiliated Italy, 4-0.
Prediction
This will be a very conservative match in terms of tactics with strict orders from both head coaches and without any particular desire from either side to attack. A slight error here could determine the winner, and knowing the mentality of the players and the head coaches, their tactics will be defensive-minded. It means to keep the ball in possession and to try to utilize the rival’s mistakes. Therefore, under 2.5 goals is our pick.
Here is the preview for the other EURO 2020 semifinal England vs. Denmark.
Also here are the previews for Copa America semis:
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
Email: nikola@wagerbop.com
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