Spain
- Spain's 3-0 win over Nigeria saw them progress as Group B winners and they will be confident of securing a place in the final when the come up against Italy on Thursday.
- Vicente Del Bosque is set to make just one change for the encounter with the Azzurri, Iker Casillas coming in at the expense of Víctor Valdés.
- Roberto Soldado is also expected to be preferred to lead the attacking line once again, regardless of Fernando Torres' goal in the win over the Africa Cup of Nations holders.
Italy
- A much changed Italy side succumbed to a 4-2 loss at the hands of Brazil and, as a result, have been forced into a replay of the 2012 European Championship final against Spain in this semi final encounter.
- Cesare Prandelli is expected to restore Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi into the midfield after the pairing missed the defeat at the hands of the hosts, with the Italy head coach considering a swap to a 3-5-2 as a result of injuries.
- Riccardo Montolivo is a doubt after limping off early on against Brazil, Mario Balotelli will miss out with injury, while Ignazio Abate's tournament is over after the full back dislocated his shoulder in their final Group A game.
Prediction
- Spain's comfortable 3-0 win over Nigeria doesn't bode well for opponents Italy, with the world champions yet to hit their best form in the Confederations Cup.
- Head coach Vicente Del Bosque also has a full fit squad of which to choose from, with Jesús Navas the only player yet to start a game for Spain in the tournament to date.
- However, the Spaniard is set to make just one change from the win on Sunday evening, with Iker Casillas expected to be named in the starting XI, meaning Víctor Valdés will drop to the bench.
- Italy's defeat to hosts Brazil on Saturday evening came at a cost, with Cesare Prandelli seeing both Mario Balotelli and Ignazio Abate pick up injuries in the 4-2 loss.
- Balotelli looks set to miss out, but should be fit for the final should Italy overcome Spain, but Abate's tournament is over after the AC Milan full back dislocated his shoulder. Christian Maggio, who rattled the crossbar with a second half header in the defeat to Brazil, is set to come in as his replacement.
- Stephan El Shaarawy is also set to make his first start of the competition at the expense of Riccardo Montolivo, who limped off during the first half of the defeat at the hands of A Seleção.
- Italy would like nothing more than to extract revenge following their European Championship final loss last summer, but in missing key players and boasting a poor defensive record in the tournament, Spain's attack is likely to prosper and a win for La Roja is expected.
No comments:
Post a Comment