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Spain vs. Italy: Key Storylines to Watch in 2013 Confederations Cup Semifinal
Published: June 25, 2013
These two sides are very familiar with each other, given their history at international tournaments, and last met competitively at the 2012 European Championships.
Spain got here by finishing with nine points and first place in Group B. Italy lost their last match to Brazil, thus finishing second in Group A.
La Roja look as dominant as they have in years and will be the prohibitive favorite. Italy do have a chance to win if everything goes right.
Here are three storylines worth watching.
Will Italy Avenge Their Euro 2012 Loss?
The scoreline might have been 4-0, but the Euro 2012 final was a thrilling game. It followed what had been the most entertaining match of the group stage, the 1-1 draw between Italy and Spain. Seeing these countries meet is a joy for any football fan, but the matchup has gotten a bit one-sided.
The Italian Under-21 team even lost to the Spain U-21s at the 2013 Under-21 European Championship.
Cesare Prandelli played a more pragmatic style in the 1-1 draw last year. He was happy to sit back and let Spain run right at Italy, and it almost worked. In the second match, he tried to have Italy go toe-to-toe with Spain, and it backfired in a big way.
Exactly what he'll do in this semifinal is up in the air. Spain are only using Sergio Busquets to shield the back four, rather than Busquets and Xabi Alonso like they did at Euro 2012.
If the Azzurri go right after Spain, they might have better luck this time. Then again, there is the issue of Italy's striker.
Where Will the Goals Come from for Italy?
Mario Balotelli is going to be out for the remainder of the Confederations Cup, per The Guardian. That leaves a big hole in the Italian attack.
Unde...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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