RealGM

Spain - Italy
VS.



Sunday 22 June 2:45EST
Ernst Happel Stadion

Probable Starting Lineups:
--------------------Casillas-------------------
--Ramos--Puyol--Marchena--Capdevila---
----Iniesta--Xavi---Senna--Silva----------
---------------Torres---Villa----------------

----------------------Buffon---------------------
--Zambrotta--Panucci--Chiellini--Grosso---
------Aquilani---De Rossi---Ambrosini------
-------------------Perrotta----------------------
-------------Cassano-------Toni----------------


Key matchups/players:
vs
Buffon will have his hands full with Villa and Torres who seem to score every chance they get...unlike someone this tournament who will be looking to turn his luck around:
vs

vs
Both outside backs like to make runs and will be attacking each other often.


De Rossi will have a lot of extra work to do with Pirlo and Gattuso suspended.




OUT:
Spain: none
Italy: Andrea Pirlo(suspension), Gennaro Gattuso(suspension), Andrea Barzagli(injury)



Coaches
Luis Aragonés
Roberto Donadoni

Spain should take it pretty easily, unless Buffon stands on his head and wins the game by himself.

Torres and Villa will run all over Italy's back four.

On the paper everything indicates young and fast Spainish team should roll over old and slow Italian team easily especially with Pirlo and Gattuso out. But these are Italians and you never know what to expect from them. I say Italia wins 2-1.

Forza Italia!!

This is like having the Phoenix Suns (Spain) play the San Antonio Spurs (Italy). As Spain are expert choke artists and Italy expert in KO games, I expect Italy to win 2-0.

Point forward wrote:This is like having the Phoenix Suns (Spain) play the San Antonio Spurs (Italy). As Spain are expert choke artists and Italy expert in KO games, I expect Italy to win 2-0.

Nice comparison and even nicer prediction
But everyone in Italy already fears Spain's strikers, those guys kick ass while our forwards have never scored so far in normal play (only free kicks). Well well, should be a good game.

(btw nice thread magik, just fill it up a little)

a tough match, more for italy because of gattusso and pirlo missing the game. i think they will miss pirlo more.

Pirlo and Gattuso are important, and it's not good miss them, but De Rossi is can do what they do together, he is the best midfielder in Italy by far...
we will lose in 1/4's, like always... once again Torres will prove how over rated he is...

Should be a great game. I've been cheering for the Italian team for a long time, so naturally I hope they win. Should they lose however, Spain have been very enjoyable to watch this tourney so them moving on wouldn't be too bad.

Hope to see Aquilani play a little more.

tkb wrote:
Hope to see Aquilani play a little more.

Same!
I'm not too worried about Gattuso and Pirlo missing because I love De Rossi and Aquilani. and Ambrosini can do what Gattuso does.

this match could go either way. But I'm thinking Spain is going to pull it off. On a side note, If Italy and the Netherlands face each other in the Semis, will Cesare Maldini threaten Van Basten again? Link

blues_man5 wrote:this match could go either way. But I'm thinking Spain is going to pull it off. On a side note, If Italy and the Netherlands face each other in the Semis, will Cesare Maldini threaten Van Basten again? Link

he didn't exactly threaten him at all...

“I can guarantee Van Basten and the Dutch's seriousness. I travel the world and I know how they think," said the father of Paolo.

“Against Romania they will play seriously. And I also want to say something else. Van Basten has a two year contract [with Ajax after the Euros] but I know that after he wants to come to coach in Italy.

"Will it be at Milan? We will see. But for sure he will want to arrive in Italy with a clean slate, and he cannot do this by losing to the Romanians on purpose.”

Barzagli may be out for the remainder of the tournament if Italy advance. He was going to start with Cannavaro before the tourney started, but now he wouldn't have played anyway.

History lesson:
June 22 in Spanish history:
They lost to Belgium on spot kicks in the last eight of the Mexico World Cup in 1986 after a late Juan Senor goal earned them a 1-1 draw in Puebla on June 22.

A decade later they were beaten on penalties by England after a 0-0 draw at Wembley in Euro 96.

They then lost to co-hosts South Korea on penalties after another goalless draw in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals...With the clock running down in extra time, Spain appeared to have grabbed a 'golden goal' winner from Fernando Morientes only for Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour to disallow it, saying the ball had rolled out of play before Joaquin crossed(which it did not). (Korea then went on to beat Italy while Totti got an unfair red card and Damiano Tommasi's golden goal was called offsides, which it was not.)


In Italian history:
They were eliminated on that date in the group stage of Euro 2004 in Portugal with five points. They beat Bulgaria 2-1 but went out because Sweden scored a last minute goal to draw 2-2 with Denmark and both Scandinavian sides qualified.

In Euro 88 they lost the semi-final to Soviet Union 2-0 in Stuttgart also on June 22.

Tough game, but as usual Italy will win even though they have way less talent than loaded Spanish team.


Italy 2- Spain -1

I'd normally pick Italy but something about this Italian squad doesn't seem right. They've just been lacking creativity and the suspension of Pirlo wouldn't help either. Add to that, Gattuso's absence though he hasn;t been in form this tournament, their chances of controlling the midfield doesn't look good and Spanish strikers are tough to handle on any day.

Spain and Italy IMO have the deepest midfields in the tournament.

Spain with Silva, Xavi, Alonso, Fabregas, Senna, De La Red, Iniesta.
Italy with Pirlo, De Rossi, Gattuso, Camoranesi, Aquilani, Perrotta, Ambrosini - who all play for one of Italy's big 4.

Spain's is better though, but with Pirlo and Gattuso suspended hopefully Aquilani will be able to show his worth

So far, in 3 out of 4 quarter of finals the favourit teams and winners of their groups were defeated by the opponents... so...

GO ITALY!

im spanish and i can say safely, italy will pass to semis. Actually i beted Italy Wins.

If Spain win, i will be extremely happy, if we lose like always, i will get some money ;P

Spain just got fouled twice inside the box within a minute and nothing was called. These officials have called numerous ticky tack fouls in the first 20 minutes and yet they allow the Italians TWO take downs inside the box. Pathetic.

Sergio Ramos...BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!