Soccer predictions online for Italy – Spain

Italy goes head to head with Spain at the Wembley Stadium in the first 1/2-finals game from Euro 2020. It should be an outstanding match, so stay with us and our soccer predictions online for it.

 

Italy are probably the best performing team in the competition so far. Not just in terms of results, but also in terms of the quality of their game. The Azzurri became much more exciting since the appointment of Roberto Mancini. They look to have the ball now, they create a lot of opportunities, and they show some beautiful things on the pitch. After eliminating Belgium, we can say that Italy are likely the number one contenders for the trophy at this moment.

 

How we said, Italy did their job against Belgium during the 1/4-finals. Nico Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored for the Squadra, while Romelu Lukaku’s penalty kick brought some hopes for the Belgians. In the second half Italy didn’t allow them any chances, though – an almost flawless performance in defense allowed Mancini’s team to reach the 1/2-finals.

 

The mood in Italy’s dressing room was darkened by what happened to one of their best players from the beginning of the competition – Leonardo Spinazzola. The AS Roma defender was impressive at the left-back position in every game Italy played, but he ruptured his achilles against the Belgians. This means that Spinazzola won’t be able to finish the competition which is heartbreaking for him. Most likely in the next game he’d be replaced by Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri. Don’t be surprised if Spain create a strategy to attack mainly through Emerson’s zone against Italy – they know it’s a good opportunity for them to use Spinazzola’s absence.

 

Against Belgium, Roberto Mancini made just two changes in his starting eleven compared to the previous match against Austria. He put Domenico Berardi on the bench and replaced him with Federico Chiesa in the starting eleven. Meanwhile in defense the whole team greeted back the influential captain Giorgio Chiellini who returned after his latest injury. Chiellini was tremendous against the Red Devils and once again showed how important he’s for his country in the defensive phase of the game.

 

At this point Mancini looks pretty much aware of what he’s going to do against Spain. Most likely Emerson will start as a left-back while he must decide if he’s going to keep Chiesa in the starting eleven. The Juventus star had somehow average performance against Belgium, so Domenico Berardi could return in the line-up. All of the other players look untouchable in the starting eleven at this point.

 

Most of the Italian fans are now completely positive that they have the best team at the Euros right now. Especially after beating Belgium, Italy’s confidence about winning their first European Championship since 1968 is increasing. The country played the final twice in the last 21 years, but both times they lost it. Now the Azzurri are starting to feel that they are about to win this trophy. They just need to make the two remaining steps to the end.

 

Spain started the Euro 2020 with two poor performances in their group, but with the time Luis Enrique’s team increased the pace. This is the reason why right now Spain are among the best four teams in the competition. La Roja played extra-time twice against Croatia and Switzerland, but they showed some enormous spirit and managed to get really close to the final. But they have the most difficult test now.

 

Spain needed penalties to eliminate Switzerland from the 1/4-finals few days ago. La Roja opened the score with an early goal when Switzerland’s Denis Zakaria put the ball in his own net. In the second half it got really dramatic, though. Xherdan Shaqiri equalised for the Crusaders, but soon after this their midfielder Remo Freuler got sent off for a dangerous play. Despite being with one extra man on the pitch, Spain didn’t find a way to score a second half. Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno was the player who made most of the misses in front of the goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

 

Unai Simon became the hero for Spain during the penalties. Unai, who made a terrifying mistake against Croatia in the previous game, saved two penalties against the Crusaders and sent his team to the 1/2-finals. Luis Enrique decided to keep him in the line-up after the last match and this decision proved to be the right one. Unai Simon showed everyone why he’s probably the best Spanish goalkeeper at this moment. His quality will be extra important against Italy. We are pretty sure he’d have some work to do.

 

We don’t expect to see Luis Enrique making changes in his defense, while he has some options for midfield and attack. Marcos Llorente could replace Pedri who looked a little bit tired against the Swiss team. In attack Alvaro Morata should keep his place, but Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal and Gerard Moreno will fight for a starting place with Ferran Torres and Pablo Sarabia. Enrique opted to use Ferran and Sarabia partnering Morata in the last two matches, but he could go for a change here.

 

The Spanish captain Sergio Busquets never stops proving how crucial he is for the team. He’s going to be one of the most important players against Italy because he’s supposed to help the defense and act between the lines. His experience and awareness will be absolutely vital against the Azzurri.

 

That’s the soccer predictions online for the Euro 2020 1/2-finals game between Italy and Spain at the Wembley. The pundits are now sharing the opinion that Italy are the number one favorite to win the European Championship. They look like the most consisting team from all, doing equally good in defense and attack. Leonardo Spinazzola will be missed, but the Azzurri will try to replace him as good as possible. Meanwhile Spain will enjoy the role of underdogs here which is giving them some better way to deal with pressure. La Roja have nothing to lose here – they can only win.